Operator To Navi
by Milaya Milen Zeal
Summary: The planning to getprotect the Synchro-Chips has started. Which side will eventually win the chips and is allowed to use them? MMBN [Rated for MAJOR violence and cursing. [contains OC's]]
1. Chapter I Part 1: Not Quite Alike

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Operator-to-Navi

Chapter I Part 1: Not Quite Alike

"Think of something.........RED!!"

"Blood."

"ACK!!! Is that the only thing that comes to mind?!"

"If I think red, I think blood, I can't help it."

"Ugh! No wonder that test told you you could be an anime-villain!"

"'EY!!!"

--

This argument was between two siblings. Their names were Shine and Ray. Shine was the one who asked Ray to think of something red, and Ray was the one who could be an anime-villain. Both kids were 14 years of age, and a twin, but they were nothing alike. 

Shine was a little hyperactive, and liked to eat sweets until she'd explode. Problem was, no matter how much Shine eats, she won't gain a pound. She had chalk white hair, even at her young age, and her eyes were an odd, purple color. Her eyes showed innocence time and time again, and it was rather hard to piss her off. Her hair was done in four ponytails, two on each side of her head, but there was still a mass of short hair hanging on her neck. She always wore bright colors, such as what she was wearing at the moment. She wore a light yellow tank top with a knot near her breasts, seeing as it had actually been your average shirt. It was strange, but you could never see the young girl's bra. She also wore some light orange shorts. The shorts hardly reached her knees, and she wore some easy step-in shoes.

Now, Ray, oh boy. Unlike the name might say, Ray was a girl. Her original name was Raye with an 'e', but she constantly shifted it to Ray without the extra 'e'. Ray was a quiet gall most of the time, but she hardly smiled and was easily steamed. There was always a frown on her face, no matter where she was. Her hair was a shimmering gray hue, and her eyes were a flaming magenta color. Her hair was extremely long, seeing as she never allowed anyone to touch her 'sacred' mass of locks. It was done in a ponytail at the back of her neck, and when she jerked her head viciously, her hair instantly jerked along with it. Unlike Shine, Ray only wore dark colors, seeing as she was a Goth. She had spiked collars around her wrists and her neck, spiked black gauntlets with the fingers missing, black leather pants and the same kind of jacket over her pitch black cotton shirt. Her boots were made out of leather too, and black as the night. 

Strangely enough, those two never got bored of each other.

Shine gave a sigh and asked exasperatedly: "Second thing that comes to mind?" 

Ray smirked and answered: "Zero Omega." 

Shine nearly tumbled over in shock. 

"Zero!? You gotta be kidding me!!" she asked, but Ray shook her head. 

"Nope. I think he's a hunk. Too bad he's got Iris." 

Ray was known to be completely obsessed with everything related to Mega Man, except for Mega Man Legends. She found it an insult for the original Mega Man, Mega Man X and MegaMan.EXE. Shine wasn't really interested, but she did know a few characters. There were few that she really liked though. She liked Roll.EXE best, but only because she was dressed in pink armor. 

Shine gave a sigh. 

"You, are impossible," she said. 

Ray smirked again and said: "Think something blue." 

"Mega Man X," Shine automatically said, and she instantly covered her mouth as Ray laughed coldly. 

"Oh, so I can't think Zero's a hunk, and you're allowed to like X? That's not fair!" she complained, though it was in her usual cold voice. 

Shine chuckled nervously, a ruby blush staining her cheeks as she rubbed the back of her neck. 

"Well uh... I just think he's cute." 

"I thought he was a 'she'."

"HEY!!"

"Well, anyone would with a voice like that from MMX4."

Shine huffed a little, and pouted, crossing her arms just below her breasts. Ray didn't respond to that, and simply lay down on the couch, arms behind her head and one knee pulled up while the other swayed back and forth over the armrest. Shine was seated in the lazy armchair opposite of the couch. She watched her twin gaze up at the ceiling, her hair falling across the armrest she was lying her head on. 

"Ray, why won't you let others touch your hair?" she asked finally, unable to stop herself.

Ray glared at her sister and said: "Because it's MY hair!!" 

With that, she turned to the ceiling again. Shine shook her head softly. Her sister was impossible to deal with sometimes. 

"Hey, toss my GBA!!" Ray suddenly said. 

Shine looked up in confusion, then let out an 'oh', and tossed the black Gameboy Advance to her sister. Ray caught it easily, and flicked it on. Ray had been working day and night on 'MegaMan Battle Network 3 BLUE' to get where she was right now. Shine walked over to her sister and watched her play the game with slight awe. Ray managed to delete all enemies with an 'S' level, and easily took care of the Navi-ghosts she encountered. 

However, Shine noticed that Ray staid in a certain area. 

"What are you doing?" Shine asked after Ray took care of a set of Mettaurs. 

Ray saved the game, and continued to roam the area. 

"I'm looking for someone---GOTCHA!!!" she suddenly exclaimed as a cloaked Navi showed up. 

Shine watched in fascination as Ray started fighting the Navi, but actually showed troubles in doing so. Ray was muttering curses every now and then as she chose a special series of different Sword chips, and hit the Navi with one whopper of a blade, instantly deleting it.

"Finally!!" Ray said, and watched the level. "Level 3... damn," she said, but smirked as the Navi's face showed up as a reward. 

She instantly saved, and _finally_ moved further away from the area. 

"Who was that?" Shine asked. "He looked like that black Bioroid Mega Man had to fight." 

Ray nodded and said: "That was Bass. Only as a Navi---what the?! OW!!" 

Ray gave a yelp as her GBA gave a short discharge, making her drop it to the ground.

Shine and Ray both stood up, staring as electric sparks surrounded the portable game, both unsure of what was going on. But before they could think anything of it, a larger discharge followed, blinding them, and knocking them out.

--

When Shine woke up, she found herself staring at a sky, framed by large trees. She didn't know what had happened, but she didn't like it. 

"Ugh... Ray... where are we?" she asked, expecting some snide remark.

None came.

Shine instantly shot up and looked around. She was alone. The young whitehead paled visibly, when she noticed she wore different clothing. Her tank top was still the same, but she wore a longer pair of pants of the same color as her shorts, and she wore a light red jacket that came just below her breasts. She easily recognized it as the jacket she always wore when going out during the summer. Also, she wore her easy sneakers and light pink socks.

"RAY!!!" she called out in desperation. 

"Shine!! I'm right here!!" a voice suddenly said, and Shine gave a yelp, staring at the strange contraption strapped to a belt on her waist. 

She hadn't noticed it before, but the thing seemed familiar. She pulled it out and stared at the screen, giving a gasp of shock.

"WHAT are you staring at?!" the image of her sister said, hands on her hips. 

However, she wore something completely different now. She wore light gray spandex with a pitch-black armor covering her chest, legs and her arms. She had a helmet on her head, and part of her gray hair stood up at the front, forming a phoenix's mane style, which were actually three spikes. The rest was tied in a ponytail at the back of her neck, and she had a strange pack on her back, as well as an odd tail waving around behind her. On her forehead, was a blood red gem, sparkling a little.

Shine tried to form words, but she couldn't. 

"Shine!! What's the deal!? And WHY am I dressed as a Navi?!?" Ray demanded. 

That's when it dawned to Shine _what_ she was holding. A PET. Shine stuttered for a moment. 

"Uh um uh... because you uh... you ARE a Navi," she finally said. 

Ray's eyes instantly widened and her jaw dropped a little. 

"You... you're joking... right?" she asked. 

Shine shook her head and said: "If what I'm holding is a PET, then you're the Navi in it." 

Ray was silent for a moment, then she suddenly smirked.

"Cool."

Shine toppled over in surprise. 

"What!?" Ray asked. "What'd I say?!

The whitehead gave a sigh. 

"Nothing, never mind."

"One problem though."

"Which is?"

"You're my operator."

Shine blinked down at her sister.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, unless you trust me in someone else's hands, I'm YOUR Navi, and you know nothing of MegaMan Battle Network."

"......Well, you do. Can't you help me?"

Ray raised an eyebrow at her sister.

"I suppose. But maybe it's better that you go through the basics with me before we leave this place. I'll need some chips you know."

Shine nodded.

"Okay, let's do it."

--

Shine was a fast learner, and she got the basics pretty easily. However, Ray wasn't very glad with her name, and said she needed a new one. 

"Like what?" Shine asked. 

"I don't know!!" Ray exclaimed. "As long as it has something to do with darkness!" 

Shine thought for a while as she tried to get out of the forest they were in. 

"How about..." Shine trailed off, thinking of something. "...uh... Muramasa."

Ray blinked and asked: "Where'd you get that?"

"Remember Masa and Mune from Chrono Trigger?"

"Yeah."

"And Mura and Same from that story someone wrote on FanFiction.Net?"

"You talking about that Riding With The Dragons story? Yeah, I remember those two."

Shine smiled and said: "Well, I used the names of the eldest two."

Ray thought for a moment, then shrugged.

"Why not," Muramasa said calmly. "Now let's get out of here!!"

--

"Shine wait!!" Muramasa suddenly said, and Shine did as her Navi said. 

"What?" she asked. 

"Listen!!" Muramasa said softly. 

"Dex, you idiot!!" a girl's voice said. "You got us lost again!!"

"I did not!! That was Lan's fault!!" a boy's voice said.

"Hey!! How can it be my fault when you're the one leading?!" another boy's voice said.

"Oh gosh," a different girl's voice said.

"Hey!! Calm down everybody!!" another voice called out.

"Sounds like we found Lan and his friends," Muramasa said. 

Shine nodded and walked over. The group was facing away from her, but she could easily see them. Muramasa watched from the PET's screen. 

"Lan, Mayl, Yai, Dex and... OH SHIT!!" she suddenly hissed quietly. "Not that guy too!!"

One of the kids in the group wasn't even bothering with the fight and simply watched the sky, hands in his pockets, his white and black hair waving about slightly. He wore some easy camo pants, a black shirt with a red jacket over it, and wore some loose sneakers on his feet. 

"Who's that?" Shine asked silently. 

"That would be Chaud," Muramasa explained. "Trust me, he's an asshole." 

Shine nodded.

When the argument threatened to become physical, Shine cleared her throat to make everyone look at her, even Chaud. 

"Sorry to interrupt," Shine said innocently, "but shouldn't you at least try to find a way out of here?" 

"This is all Lan's fault!!" Dex said angrily. "Let him get us out of here!!"

"Why you!!" Lan hissed.

"Lan!! Calm down!!" MegaMan said.

It didn't help, and the argument started all over again. Muramasa had her arms crossed and was tapping her fingers on her arm impatiently, and sighed, before fiddling with the controls of the PET. Finally, a map of some sorts popped up, and Muramasa easily found their location. Everyone was still fighting though, so, she did the only thing to quiet them down.

"EVERYBODY **_SHUT UP!!!!!_**" she screamed out, and silence reigned instantly. 

Muramasa smirked, then turned to her operator. 

"I opened the satellite map," she said. "If we head north-northwest from here, we should end up at Okuden Valley." 

Shine smiled. 

"Thanks Muramasa," she said. 

"Don't mention it," her Navi said with a scoff.

Chaud blinked. 

'That's one loud Navi,' he found himself thinking.

--

After a few minutes, the group arrived at Okuden Valley, like Muramasa had said they would.

"Whoo!!" Lan exclaimed. "Finally! I thought we'd never get out of there!!"

Mayl smiled, then suddenly turned to Shine.

"Hey! We never introduced!! I'm Mayl!" she said, extending her hand.

"I'm Shine," the whitehead said with a smile, shaking the girl's hand.

Yai walked over with a smile and said: "I'm Yai, and I'm the richest girl around, so you better treat me with respect!"

Before Shine could say anything, Muramasa said coldly: "If you respect us, we will respect you."

Yai blinked then shrugged. 

"Your Navi's a little grouchy."

"_What was that?!_" Muramasa hissed angrily.

Shine rolled her eyes and said: "Easy to anger too, so watch out."

Muramasa humhped and turned her back to the others.

The young whitehead turned to Dex and asked: "And you are?"

Dex grinned wickedly and said: "I'm Dex, and you better treat me with respect unless you want your Navi deleted!"

The gang sweatdropped a little, Shine too, because she knew how many times her sis beat him on Level S.

"Baka," they heard Muramasa mumble.

Dex blinked and asked: "What'd she say?" to which Shine said: "Don't bother."

Lan smiled and said: "Name's Lan. Where're you from?"

Shine flinched a little, but not enough to notice. She hadn't thought of that, and she didn't know much about this place, so she was lucky that Muramasa helped her out.

"We're from Den City, but we left a few years ago," the Navi said, still not facing the group.

Chaud scoffed and said: "Really? I've never seen you around."

Shine smiled and said: "I've never seen you before either, so we're even!"

A slight chuckle came from Muramasa and her shoulders shook lightly. Chaud frowned angrily. Shine simply smiled innocently with a look that read what-did-I-say?

--

"Why did you say we were from Den City?" Shine asked her Navi once they were alone.

"Couldn't think of anything else," Muramasa answered plainly.

"Ah."

Shine watched everyone for a moment. Mayl was talking to Lan, Dex was looking for someone to NetBattle with, Yai was fishing, strangely enough, and she had no idea where Chaud was at the moment. Things were just going easy. But for Muramasa it was a little _too_ easy.

"I'M BORED!!" she called out.

"And what am _I _supposed to do about that?" Shine asked.

Muramasa thought for a moment, and suddenly noticed Dex challenging some rookie NetBattlers. A vicious smirk formed, and Shine sighed. 

"No."

"Ah! Don't be such a party-pooper!! COME ON!!!"

".........Oh fine!"

--

"Dex, forget it, they won't fight you," Lan said with a smirk.

Dex grumbled something inaudible, and kicked a stone away. Chaud watched from a distance, not wanting to be involved with any of them. Especially that new kid. He had a feeling there was something terribly wrong with her. Not only with her coloration, but also with that Navi of hers.

"Hey Dex!" a voice suddenly shouted, and the mentioned boy turned to face Shine. "Care to NetBatlle? Muramasa's a little bored, and she'll whine my ears off if I don't think of something."

"I. Do. NOT. Whine," Muramasa hissed through clenched teeth. "I complain, but I don't whine!!"

Chaud raised an eyebrow. Muramasa acted like she was her own person. Like she wasn't someone's Navi, but a person with her own rational thoughts. 

"Call it whatever you want," Shine said merrily.

"Heheh," Dex said. "I hope your Navi can stand to lose."

"YOU'RE the one who's going to lose here!!" Muramasa said.

Lan watched it all as Dex got out a miniature battle arena, and jacked GutsMan in, while Shine jacked Muramasa in.

--

"GutsMan! Jack in!! NetBattle mode!!"

"YEEEHAAW!! Execute!!

"Muramasa.EXE!! Plug in!! Fight routine set!!"

"Transmitted and executed."

--

Muramasa was an extra few feet taller than GutsMan because of her spiked hair, but GutsMan looked far more menacing with all those metallic muscles. The female Navi wasn't afraid though. She'd beaten this guy too many times to keep count in the game and knew all his moves from the back of her head. Muramasa grinned a bloodthirsty grin and pretended to roll up her sleeves, before spreading her legs and curling her hands into claws as the fingers grew pointed.

"Bring it on tough guy," she taunted with that grin still on her face.

GutsMan wasn't intimidated by the girl, and got in a battle position. 

--

Dex smirked and said: "You're going down girl."

Shine was lightly shivering as she watched Muramasa taunting GutsMan, and she wasn't too sure if she would be able to make it. What if this proved to be too hard for Muramasa to handle? The games weren't real, so this would probably be a lot harder. For one, the battlefield was unlimited, and you could get anywhere! Would that be good, or bad?

She didn't know, but she hoped Muramasa could handle herself.

--

GutsMan smirked, and suddenly pulled back his hands. Muramasa's eyes narrowed. She knew that move. Easily.

She took a leap, right before GutsMan slammed the ground with both hands, which had reverted into one giant hammer. She flipped and landed behind GutsMan. Before the giant knew where she'd gone, she screamed and delivered a furious roundhouse kick that sent the other Navi flying for awhile, before crashing in the ground. 

GutsMan shook his head and stood up. Another scream followed and he looked up to see Muramasa soaring through the air, and then rushing down with one leg extended. GutsMan smirked and grabbed the girl's ankle, who cried out as GutsMan slammed her against the ground a few times, before sending her away. Muramasa dug her pointed fingers in the ground, and skidded to a halt, a calm look on her face, surprisingly, and her eyes shut.

"YEEHAAAW!!" GutsMan exclaimed in triumph.

Muramasa slowly opened her eyes, and looked up, still crouched on the ground. Slowly, she stood up, and her eyebrows kept lowering as she did, until the tips seemed to touch her nose. 

"Don't. Think. You've. Won," she hissed, anger seeping steadily in her voice.

--

Dex blinked in confusion and everyone just stared. Mayl, Yai and Lan had walked over to watch the battle, while Chaud watched from a distance. Shine was getting scared for her Navi, when she suddenly realized that there was a way to win a little more easily. 

She quickly reached in her pocket, and pulled out a bunch of chips. 

'Oh! Which to pick?! Right now, I wish I knew a little more about this!' 

Her eyes scanned the bunch of chips, still contemplating which to pick. 

'Ah, to hell with this!' she thought, and randomly picked one.

Finally, Shine slid in the chip.

--

Muramasa suddenly stretched her right hand, and it glowed brightly, shifting into a pretty large violet sword. With a furious scream, the black and gray Navi shot forward, almost too fast for anyone to notice, and lashed out violently. The lash hit the Navi emblem on GutsMan's chest, making the Navi stumble back. 

The sword vanished, but Muramasa kept lashing out, only with her fingers, before starting to punch and kick furiously. The punches and kicks flew at the other Navi with great speed that couldn't be matched by the bigger Navi, so GutsMan took most of the hits. 

Finally, GutsMan had enough, and delivered the other Navi a strong punch to her jaw, sending her flying away.

The girl landed on her stomach in a heap. Not moving.

--

"Muramasa!!" Shine cried out in horror.

Chaud knew that there was no way for the other Navi to win now. It would be better for Shine to just give up. But the girl wouldn't quit. That much was clear.

"Come on!! Get up!! Get up!!"

--

The female Navi twitched her fingers, and somehow, managed to get into an upright position -- right before falling to her knees again. One hand moved to her aching jaw, which had turned a light red because of the punch delivered there. She winced at the pain, but she kept her hand there, as if she could somehow ease the burn.

Muramasa suddenly screamed in pain as GutsMan pulled her to her feet -- by her hair!! And if there was one thing she didn't like, it was people touching her hair, much less PULL on it!!

"YOU BASTARD!!!" she screamed when GutsMan started laughing. "LET. GO. OF. MY. HAIR!!!" 

Both of Muramasa's hands suddenly shifted, forming a set of deadly Busters, which were aimed at the no longer laughing Navi. 

"Uh-oh," he mumbled, right before a pair of whines followed, and the blasts shot GutsMan away. 

Muramasa landed on her feet on the ground, aimed both Busters, and started to rapidly fire bursts of plasma at the other Navi, who tried with all his power to dodge, but was unable to. The blasts kept hitting him over and over, until Muramasa began to charge again holding the barrels together to make it form one giant burst of plasma.

Again, she took aim, and fired.

"GutsMan! JACK OUT!!"

GutsMan jacked out just in time to avoid the blast.

--

Shine gave a sigh of relief, and plugged out. 

"You okay, Muramasa?" she asked worriedly. 

Muramasa nodded softly, a hand on her jaw, calmly rubbing the forming bruise. 

"I'll be fine. He just caught me off guard."

Dex looked a little angry, but finally gave a sigh. The girl was just good. 

He walked over and said: "Nice fight there." 

"Huh??" Shine mumbled, confused. "Oh! Uh, thanks, I guess. But if GutsMan hadn't pulled Muramasa's hair, I don't think she would've won."

Muramasa simply glared, as if not wanting to talk, but Dex understood perfectly.

--

Chaud had been surprised that Shine had actually managed to win. It had seemed a little hopeless for the girl, but apparently, either the Navi was mighty strong, or Shine was a good NetBattler. He wasn't sure which was correct.

Maybe both, but he wasn't too sure.

--

"OW!!" Muramasa exclaimed when the pink armored Roll checked her jaw. 

All Navis had been allowed in a vacant arena, where they could get to know the new Navi on the block, so to say. 

"That's a pretty nasty bruise there," Roll muttered, and calmly used her healing powers to heal it. 

MegaMan watched as Muramasa opened her mouth and then shut it to make sure it didn't hurt, before standing up with a huff and dusting herself off.

"You know, I could've handled myself just fine," she mumbled angrily. 

"As if," an unfamiliar voice said. 

Muramasa looked up and growled at the red armored Navi. 

"I don't know who you are, but you have no right to say what I can or cannot!" she hissed. 

ProtoMan only scoffed. 

'Great. Just what I need! A cyber-version of Chaud!!'

--

Shine quietly ate her portion of fried fish as she watched the others eat once in awhile. She was amazed by the large amount of food Lan could eat. How could he stuff all of that in his stomach? She had no idea.

Chaud had taken his share of fish and was sitting just outside a tent, his gaze anywhere but on them. Shine wondered why he wouldn't join them. She figured that Chaud was around the same age as Lan and the others, but Chaud made it sound like he had reached adulthood years ago. The guy was an enigma to her, and that was something she didn't like. She didn't enjoy not knowing people, because it made her feel that they were hiding stuff from her.

So, she got up from her seat, grabbing her plate and told the others she was going to sit with Chaud for awhile, and headed toward him. Lan watched her for awhile, not knowing why, but feeling some kind of innocence around her, as if she didn't believe in evil or something.

'Ah! That's ridiculous,' he thought, and resumed eating.

--

Chaud simply stared ahead as he ate, not even bothering to look at the group. He had no intention of joining them. The only reason he was here, was to make sure the dam once again didn't explode or something. The rest of this camp was pointless in his opinion.

He looked up when he heard someone clear her throat, and stared straight into a pair of purple orbs framed by white eyebrows. 

Inside, Chaud cursed a few times, then asked coldly: "What do you want?"

Shine didn't seem affected, and just smiled, before asking: "Nothing. Can I sit here?"

Chaud was surprised. Most people always showed signs of fear or anger when he talked like that, but this girl didn't even flinch. It was like she was actually used to being talked to like that. Chaud threw that idea aside though.

"Whatever," he mumbled, looking straight ahead again, not looking at her as he ate.

Shine noticed but still sat down beside him on the bench, and began to munch on her food. 

Both of them ate in silence, Chaud because he didn't want to talk, and Shine because she wasn't sure what to say. Shine studied the view carefully, taking note that they had a pretty nice view of the campingsite. The trees were pretty high, but there was a path leading through the dense thicket, so it couldn't be that easy to get lost, unless you left the road of course. The river flowed past them quietly, a fish sometimes jumping up trying to swim up against the stream. 

"Nice view from out here," Shine finally said.

Chaud looked at her briefly from the corner of his eyes and humphed, saying: "Whatever."

Shine took a bite of her food, looking at Chaud a little peculiar. She had a feeling he was avoiding conversation with her.

"You're an odd bird, know that?" she asked.

"Whatever."

Shine raised an eyebrow. 

'Yep. He's avoiding conversation,' she thought angrily. 'What would sis do about this? ...... Oh yeah!' 

A nasty smile formed on her face as she looked at Chaud. He still wouldn't look at her.

She moved over and whispered something in his ear, causing him to choke on his food. He then whirled around to face her, eyes wide.

"W-w-what?!" he demanded, feeling his face grow hot with embarrassment.

Shine laughed at the look he was giving her and managed to get out: "I was kidding!! Don't take everything so serious, Grumpy!!"

"Well I gue--_Grumpy_?!!? Why you little!!!"

"Hey chill out!!" Shine said, still laughing. "Jeez! Where's your sense of humor?"

Chaud growled angrily, but a smirk was tugging at his mouth no matter what he tried.

"A-ha!! Got ya to smile!!" Shine said, pointing at his face. "I knew you could do it!!"

The way Shine said it just made Chaud want to laugh, but he desperately tried to get a hold of himself, which wasn't easy. Especially since Shine was only making it worse.

Finally, Chaud simply burst out laughing, and Shine followed quickly, unable to stop. No one noticed though, they were too far away for that. For that, Chaud was glad.

Once they could finally stop laughing, Chaud turned to Shine, a small smirk still on his face.

"You're not the same as your Navi, are you?"

"I know. Me and Muramasa, we're not quite alike."

-- 

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Alright, that's that. This fic is loosely based on Ken of Melee's fic, so the idea isn't exactly mine. Don't sue, I asked permission first, I swear! 


	2. Chapter I Part 2: Sharp As A Razor

****

A/N: Okay, this is part 2 of chapter 1. Before we start, I wanna thank the few people who reviewed. 

------------------------------------

Ken Of Melee: [nervous chuckle] Well uh. thanks.

Youkai Ryu: Grammar and spelling's easy! But thanks for the review!

Song: Practice, practice, practice!! You should've seen some of my first stories! Talk about lame! -_-;; Anyway, when are you going to finish 'When The Time Comes'? It's one of my favs! ^_^ Thanks for the review!

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Enough talk!! On with the story

--

Chapter I Part 2: Sharp As A Razor

"Yo! Michael!!"

"Ugh!! Porn!!"

"You never quit do you?"

"Lemme think...... no."

"Thought so."

--

The previous conversation, had been that of two old friends of around 15. 

The first to speak, had been Dare, a boy with wild spiked ivy green hair and emerald green eyes. It was his hair's natural color, and he was quite popular amongst girls. Not like he really cared. Dare was true to his name, seeing as he risked all kinds of things that others were afraid to do. His motto was: 'Live every day as your last to fully enjoy life'. He didn't have a common getup, so you could never know with him. Right now, he wore a dark blue shirt with Lan and MegaMan on it from 'MegaMan Battle Network 2', seeing as Saito was on the back of the shirt. He also wore some dark gray baggy pants, easy sneakers, and had a dark green baseball-cap turned backwards on his head.

The other boy was named Michael. Michael had shoulder-length black hair, tied back in a tight ponytail at the base of his neck. His eyes were dark brown, almost black. He usually wore black and gray clothing, which was what he wore now. He wore a dark gray shirt, black jeans, black boots, and a light gray jacket.

"Michael, you're crazy, honestly," Dare said with a chuckle.

"That's _slightly insane_! I'm NOT crazy!!" Michael said with a fake-angered look.

Dare simply rolled his eyes. If Michael wasn't crazy, he was a Navi with two swords and guns. Which wasn't the case.

"What exactly are you doing here?" Michael suddenly asked.

Dare smirked and pulled a small GBA-cassette from his pocket, saying: "Buying this. I finished Blue some time ago. Just too bad I couldn't find Bass."

He was holding up a cassette for 'MegaMan Battle Network 3 WHITE', which shone brightly after being taken from the box only moments ago. 

Michael looked a little oddly at Dare, and asked: "You didn't find Bass?"

Dare shook his head.

"I don't have enough patience to go find him."

Michael rolled his eyes.

"Hey, you wanna come to my house? Try this thing out," Dare asked.

Michael shrugged.

"Sure."

--

"Hang on a moment, I've got mail," Dare said, sitting behind his PC. 

He tapped in a few commands and read the new message.

--

__

Yo bushhead!

You still up for next week? We're heading for the Netherlands, remember? You said you wanted to go too. My folks wanna know if you're still coming. And ask that oversexed kid if he's still coming too.

Ciao!

Ray

--

Dare rolled his eyes and called out: "Michael!! You still coming with us to the Netherlands next week?"

"Well DUH!!" Michael exclaimed. "Of course I am!! Why?"

Dare didn't answer, just answered Ray's email.

--

__

'Ey squirt

Yeah, we're still coming. And if we're not there, you can have my MMBN3White. Okay? Just bought it, by the way. Finished MMBN3Blue some time ago. You finished with yours already? Anyway, be seeing ya next week.

Dare

--

He sent it to Ray, and turned off the PC, getting up and heading for the living room, grabbing his blue GBA in the process. Once he was in the living room, he saw Michael sitting on the couch. 

Michael looked up when hearing Dare enter the room, and asked: "Why did you ask if I was still going?"

"Ray sent that email," Dare answered picking up the GBA-cassette from the table. "Her parents wanted to know if we were still coming."

"Ah," Michael said.

The two boys had met Shine during a trip at the gaming arcade last year, where she seemed to have been waiting for someone. They had talked for awhile, discussing this and that, until Ray had showed up. Dare had been shocked out of his wits when he figured out that the two were twins. That just didn't make sense, because not only was their coloration and their taste so very different, Ray also had a 2 feet height advantage over the smaller Shine, bringing her to an equal height with Dare. The reason they got along pretty well, was because they were both obsessed with everything involving Mega Man.

Also, Ray had been very well-built, and she had showed them early on that they'd better not mess with her, the hard way.

Dare chuckled and asked: "Hey Michael, you remember when we first met Ray?"

Michael winced visibly and said: "You kidding me!? I STILL have that bruise she gave me when she punched me!!"

The green haired kid shook his head and said: "That was your own fault."

"All I did was touch her hair!!" Michael cried out. "I wanted to see if that color was real!! How was I supposed to know she was a MA-student!?"

Dare rolled his eyes, and finally slid the GBA-cassette in his GBA, not noticing the tiny spark coming from the console. 

"I still can't believe those two are twins," he mumbled, flicking the GBA on.

Michael shrugged and said: "I can't believe it either, but their parents say it's the truth."

"Yeah, I---YOOOOW!!!" Dare yelped, and dropped his GBA shaking his lightly electrocuted hand. "The hell was that?!"

The console was sizzling a little, and Michael stood up, watching it in confusion. Small discharges were sent every which way, but stopped short most of the time. 

Before the two boys knew what happened, their vision turned black and they passed out.

--

Michael woke up to the sound of something pinging above his head, and he groggily opened his eyes. First thing he noticed, was that he was sitting in a chair that didn't belong in a normal house, and he wore other clothes than when he passed out. His shirt was a deep black, his jeans were an average dark blue, and he now wore his sleeveless gray jacket and his sneakers. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be arriving at Electopia in approximately 20 minutes," a voice suddenly called out from above him. "We hope you enjoyed our flight and to see you again next time."

Michael blinked in shock and confusion. This couldn't be good. Not at all.

He looked around, and noticed that Dare was nowhere to be seen. Michael took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, thinking of what to do. Why wasn't Dare around? Last thing he remembered was passing out in Dare's livingroom. Michael suddenly noticed a window to his right, so he looked outside carefully.

Oh great.

He was on an airplane.

With a sigh, Michael looked straight ahead. 'You gotta be kidding me,' he thought. 'How the hell did I get here? I'm not supposed to be here.'

"Ah! I see you're up!!" a sudden voice said, and Michael jumped in surprise.

He looked around, but noticed that there was nobody facing him, much less talking to him. Was he losing it?

"Michael!! I'm here!!" he heard, and he noticed it from coming from... his stomach??

Michael pulled up his shirt, and noticed a strange portable attached to his belt, with large letters reading above a screen 'PET'. He got it from his belt and held it up in front of him.

"Yo, Mike!! How do I look?!" Dare asked with a grin, apparently not at all freaked out about what was happening.

Michael had to admit, Dare didn't look all that bad as a Navi. He still had his long spiked mass of hair that reached the middle of his back, but instead of his cap, he wore a helmet that covered the top of his head, and had two long spikes on the sides of his face, and there was an odd symbol on the front. The armor he wore was dark blue and the spandex was dark green, with spikes at the elbows, knees, and shoulders, as well as that same symbol on his chest. He also wore gloves with a line under the knuckles and another line just below the wrists (on top of the glove). Also, he carried two guns in holsters around a metallic belt of some sorts.

Michael whistled and said: "Not bad. But... what happened? Where are we?"

Dare shrugged and said: "My guess is that we're inside of MegaMan Battle Network somehow, though I'm not sure if we're in the 3rd version, or the 4th, or even the 5th. Like I said, I'm not sure."

The black haired teen gave a sigh and asked: "How are we going to get home?"

"You kidding!?" Dare asked enthusiastically. "How big's the chance that this'll happen again!? Let's enjoy this while it lasts! Okay?"

Michael blinked, but understood what he meant. He had always wondered what it would be like to be in the game, and now that he had the chance, he wanted to go home?! What was he thinking!

Michael smiled and said: "Okay! Let's!!"

Dare let out a whoop, then said: "Hey, we'd be better off using different names, you know what I mean?"

Michael nodded.

"I'll just call myself 'Mike', is that okay?"

"Sure, but who am I supposed to be? And I DON'T want it to end with 'Man', if you don't mind."

"I can imagine. I'm not all that sure though, I never was very good at making up names."

Dare gave a sigh and sat crosslegged on the floor of his PET, arms crossed over his chest. Silence reigned for awhile, as both operator and Navi thought for a moment. Mike looked down at his Navi for awhile, noting how he looked.

"It's like you've got a bunch of razors sticking from your body," he said.

Dare blinked and looked himself over a few times. A sudden smirk suddenly passed over his features. 

He turned to Mike and said: "Then how about 'Razor'?"

Mike blinked, then smiled.

"Nice!"

Razor smirked again, when suddenly, a red light popped up with a seatbelt emblem on it.

"We will be landing shortly, please fasten your seatbelts until the plane has stopped completely."

--

"This's my bag," Mike said, and grabbed his bag, before heading for the exit.

"Where are we going to stay though?" Razor asked. "I don't think we'll be able to live off of the streets."

Mike thought for a moment, and stopped walking once they were outside. The sky was clear, and the clouds lazily moved across the sky, not bothered by anything, and allowing the wind to carry them off. Mike stood there for a moment, then sighed.

"We could look for a hotel. How much zenny do we have?" he asked his Navi.

"Let me see... around 7.000."

"Oi!" Mike groaned. "What's the cheapest hotel around?"

Razor took a moment to fiddle with the PET's system, and finally pulled up a map.

"Cheapest would be Night Star Motel. 400 zenny a night, the others are above a thousand."

Mike groaned and asked: "Do you think NetBattling pays off in cases like this?"

Razor sighed and said: "Let's hope."

"Well, we got a whole day, so we might as well start."

--

The bus came to a halt, and Mike jumped out, and watched the bus ride off. They had stopped at ACDC Town, near Dex's house, which they knew from experience. 

"Whereto first?" Mike asked.

"During MMBN2, there was some kind of doll at the park," Razor said. "If we're lucky, it's still there and littered with viruses."

Mike nodded, and began walking down the streets. 

--

He found the park easily enough, but he noticed a lot of people were there, playing, and having fun. Kids were climbing up and down the jungle-jim, some were swinging back and forth on the swings, and others were simply running around, trying to catch each other. Mike watched it for awhile, and finally started searching for that doll.

After some time, he finally spotted it and walked over.

He calmly picked it up, and looked at it for awhile, confused.

"DeathScythe??" Razor asked. "In Mega Man??"

Mike shrugged and sat down on a bench with the toy, where he plugged Razor in.

--

Razor soon found himself in the toy, and he looked around a few times. There were a few programs there, but mostly, the place was littered with viruses, like he had thought. 

"Hey Razor! What's it like to be in a toy?" Mike asked.

"Well, it's crowded," Razor answered dryly. "I'm going to have to fix that, give me a second!"

He pulled out both guns from their holsters, and began firing at the viruses, who gave startled yelps, before facing deletion. Razor had excellent aim, which helped him a great deal here, but there were viruses that were just too stubborn to stay still!!

"SHIT!!" Razor screamed as he avoided the strange hovercraft-shaped virus. 

The virus glowered, turned around, and shot at him again. Razor paled and blindly lashed his arm out, not noting the strange light coming from his arm. The virus squeaked and fell --- in two separate halves.

"The hell??" Razor asked, and looked at his arm.

From the line on his glove, came a blood red blade, while his hand still gripped his gun right below the blade. A smirk passed Razor's features, and he shot off to delete some more viruses.

--

"Done!" Razor said. "And I managed to get close to 5.000 zenny, as well as some new chips."

Mike smiled.

"Talk about easy money!" he said.

"Indeed."

"Well, we need some extra chips, so how 'bout we head to Higsby's?"

"Good plan! Let's go!"

--

"Whoa! Look at all this stuff!!" Mike said in awe, staring at everything in the shop.

There were dozens of shelves littered with numerous kinds of chips, all kinds of different PETs, posters and whatnot. Razor smiled, and suddenly gasped.

"Mike! Look over there!! The back wall!!" he said, pointing.

Mike looked over and paled.

"Vile?!?! In MMBN?!" he asked, staring at the large poster of the purple Reploid.

Vile had been the very first boss you had to face in the very first Mega Man X, to whom you had to lose. Luckily, Zero was always there to save your hide in that battle. 

That's when Mike remembered what he had come for, so he headed for the counter. Higsby was busy with another kid who was buying chips, so Mike waited patiently for the kid to finish, which took quite awhile. The boy couldn't seem to make up his mind.

Finally though, the kid left, and Mike cautiously approached the counter.

"Hi, I need some new chips for my Navi," he said calmly.

Higsby nodded and said: "Yeah, I figured that to be the case, huh. You good, huh?"

Mike blinked, then shrugged.

"I'm pretty okay," he said. "But Razor's doing most of the work."

"That's pretty obvious!" Razor called out.

Mike chuckled slightly. Higsby simply rolled his eyes a little, and told Mike to jack in on the PC beside him to see the list. Mike easily jacked his Navi in and calmly skimmed over the list. After a while, he took a few blades and gave Higsby the information.

"Okay, let's see huh," he mumbled, checking the list and heading for the shelves. 

Razor gave a sigh and said: "If only we could become City NetBattlers. At least then we'd be able to _really_ earn some money! I really need something better than just sword chips!"

"I know, Razor," Mike said. "If you didn't notice, I bought some cannons too."

"Pretty weak ones."

"Hey, we still have to pay for a hotel, remember?"

"I know! But if I could get on the UnderNet, I'd be able to bust some viruses, get some extra cash, _and_ some new chips!"

"You sure?"

"Just watch me!!"

"We need to be able to get on the Net, remember? And how are we supposed to do that without a PC?!"

Razor growled when he realized that Mike was right, but he wouldn't give up.

"We'll just ask the hotel for a laptop with Internet connection or something! I don't care!!!"

Just then, Higsby got back, holding a few chips in his hand.

"Here you go, huh."

"Thanks," Mike said politely, accepting the chips and easily paying for them. "Later!"

"Same thing, huh!"

--

Mike took his time strolling through ACDC Town, already knowing the place from the back of his head, but everything seemed so goddamn big compared to the game!! The houses seemed so high all of a sudden, and the streets seemed a lot wider than before. This was something to get used to.

"Mike, the sun's setting," Razor suddenly said. "We have to find a place to stay, fast."

He looked up, and gave a sigh. He had wound up at Dex's house again, but he was unsure of what to do. 

That is, until he spotted the metroline.

"Hmmm..." Mike contemplated.

--

The waves crashed against the shore wildly, and the flowers in the garden near the large building waved about, spreading their pollen to everyone who passed them, and some young children were laughing, smiling, and running around, chasing each other around to catch each other, and some couples walked along the shore, smiling, leaning against each other for comfort, and other children were challenging each other to NetBattles, or were trading chips with each other. 

Mike smiled at the sight of the Marine Harbor, and took in the smell of the salty air. 

"Whoo!! I'm going to like this place!!" he said.

"At least you can smell things there!" Razor mumbled. "I'm stuck in this PET."

"Well, you get to fight! Not me!!" Mike said. "Anyway! Let's go see if we can become City NetBattlers!"

"ALRIGHT!!"

--

Razor stepped out of the portal, and gasped in shock.

"Shit! This place isn't just a square!! It's a whole _city_!!" he exclaimed, gawking at the huge buildings rising out above him. 

"You're kidding!" Mike said.

"No I'm not! It's going to take awhile to find out where I have to be around here!" Razor said, and headed inside of a large building that looked pretty much like the Official's Center in Marine Harbor.

Inside, several Navis were walking about, doing this and that, and Razor walked over to the counter. There was a pink female-Navi typing away behind a computer, and Razor politely cleared his throat.

The Navi looked up, smiled, and asked: "Yes, can I help you?"

"I was wondering if I could register as a City NetBattler. Or do I have to go somewhere else?" Razor asked.

"No, you're at the right address," the female-Navi said. "But if you want to be a CNB, you must at least have the A-License, and for that, you need a B- and Z-License."

"Pah!" Razor said calmly. "I can take the A-License-test or, WHATEVER, without a Z-License! I assure you."

The Navi looked a little confused. 

"You sure?"

"Positive. What? You don't believe me?"

"I just find it hard to believe."

"So you don't believe me."

"I never said that!"

"No, but you were implying."

"..."

"Look, just give me the test, and if I'm deleted, it's my own fault, right?"

"......Yes, I suppose you're right. Alright, please come with me."

--

"RAAAAAAAAAH!!!" 

Razor screamed as he lashed downward, slicing another virus in half, making it combust in small blue squares, which then evaporated.

Mike smiled and pulled out another chip.

"Long Sword!! Slot in!!" he said as he slid it in.

Razor stretched his left hand, which then glowed pure white, before shifting into a sword, seemingly made out of purple flames. With yet another scream, he shot forward, sword-arm pulled back, and he wildly lashed out, taking out an unfortunate Mettfire, whose staff fell to the ground once it was deleted. Razor noticed this, and blinked when it too didn't vanish, until he smirked.

He grabbed the staff and roughly jammed it in the ground, before jumping aside to avoid the rain of meteorites, which took out the remaining viruses.

--

"Whew! Finished!" Razor said, then turned to the female-Navi. "See? I can handle myself just fine."

"Yes, I can see that," she said with a smile. "I think you passed the test. Here's your A-License."

Razor nodded and accepted the piece of data.

"Thanks," he said, and left. 

--

"I did it, Mike!"

"Yeah, well, we should get going. Let's get the next bus and head for the hotel."

"Right."

--

By the time Mike and Razor came to their hotel room, the sun had set and the stars were starting to show. Mike instantly crashed on the bed, hands behind his head.

"Now what?" Mike asked.

"Well, let's take a rest for now, and we can see if we can help people with requests. You remember, right? The request-board... or whatever that thing's called!" Razor said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Mike said.

Silence.

--

"Hey Razor."

"Hmmm?"

"If Shine and Ray were here, who would be the Navi, and who'd be the Operator?"

"Pff! Just a wild guess, but I think Ray would be the Navi. A violent girl like her? Definitely Navi material!"

"Yeah... What do you think they'd look like?"

"Shine would be about the same as always... and as for Ray... no idea. Something with black and gray most likely."

"Well, I suppose that'd be true."

"Why do you even ask?"

"...No reason."

"......Homesick?"

".........A little."

"........."

"........."

".........Me too."

"What are Shine and Ray going to say when they find out we're missing?"

"Shine would probably make a fuss, and Ray would do her best to avoid the whole situation."

"Yeah. Ray never _did_ care about others."

"I don't think so."

"Huh??"

"Shine once told me... that Ray had a boyfriend once. She used to be a nice girl back then. But then... something just... changed in her. She began acting different, dressing different, even her way of speech started to change. Her boyfriend dumped her because her sudden change. Ray had locked herself up for no less than 5 hours, but no one knows what she did, not even Shine."

"I don't follow. What are you implying?"

"When Ray came out of her room again, her usual ways were forever thrown away. She stopped laughing like she used to, she even stopped smiling. I've seen some video-tapes of before... God. I honestly didn't believe that had been her."

"Did she really change _that_ much?"

"Yeah."

".........Then she just needs someone to care for her."

"See? That's where the problem lies."

"Huh???"

"Ray won't allow them. She's locking everyone out. She doesn't want to go through the same thing _again_. And every boy is afraid of her."

"Man...... I never thought Ray had such a difficult life. She always seemed so... at ease."

"Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving, remember?"

"Right."

--

Mike stifled a yawn.

"You sleepy?" Razor asked.

"Yep," Mike said through another yawn. "Think I'll hit the sack for tonight."

"Not me! Can you jack me in on the Net? I'll be back by morning okay?" Razor asked.

"Yeah, sure."

Mike easily plugged his Navi in on the PC, and headed to bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

--

"This is nice..." Razor mumbled, staring across the entire city from a large building he had gone to explore. 

He had wound up on the roof, and was now sitting on the edge, simply staring across the vast space of the city, taking note of the sounds you'd hear in just about every city. Cars zooming by, people laughing, chatting, yelling. It was like he wasn't even stuck in some kind of game, but was sitting on highest floor of the WTC, hadn't it been torn down about 4 years back. 

Razor had gone there, to the Twin Towers, once. He had sat there, just like he was right now, just staring at the city laying below him in fascination. He had been 7. Ran off from his parents to sit on the roof, just enjoying the view. The wind always blew through his wild manes of ivy green hair, sending them every which way. Not like it bothered him.

There was even a breeze brewing through his hair right now. It always made him relax, and for some reason, a feeling like... he had brought a part of home here surged through him. He smiled and closed his eyes, facing the wind as it continued to lick gently at his face and hair. It was so quiet... He felt like he could stay there forever.

That is until the wind suddenly shifted dramatically.

Razor's eyes instantly shot open and he jumped back onto the roof, looking around in alarm. Someone was near. He could tell.

Just to feel secure, he slid out both swords on his gloves, and used them as red flashlights to light the area. He turned left, turned right, turned around completely, eyes scanning the entire area.

__

Crunch!!

A stone crunched below a foot!

Razor instantly whirled around and grabbed one of his guns. 

A loud curse, and a figure ran off, just before a sizzling bolt of plasma was shot his way, missing him by a hair.

"DAMN!!" Razor cursed, then ran after the figure, grabbing his other gun as well.

The figure ran on and on, until---

He jumped off the building!!!

Razor stopped right near the edge and looked down.

Nothing.

Once again, he looked about, just catching the sight of a figure vanishing somewhere above him.

"What... in... the... world??" 

--

"Damn, damn, damn!!" he cursed angrily. "Almost had him!! ALMOST GODDAMNIT!!!"

He punched a wall in anger, then pulled his fist back, looking at the slightly dented glove.

"That guy..." he mumbled, running his other hand over his fist. "He's fast... and by the looks of it, sharp as a razor."

-- 

****

Alright, that's that. Oh, and about Razor's symbol ^_- Lookie below!!
    
    *--------*

|***|****|

****|----|

*---|****|

****

Replace the '*''s with empty spaces on a Notepad, and you'll have Razor's symbol. Oh, and for those who don't know, DeathScythe was from Gundam Wing


	3. Chapter I Part 3: Request Accepted

****

A/N: Okay guys! Last part of chapter one, and then we'll begin chappie two! ^_^ 

------------------------------------

None of your Buisness: Thanks for the compliment and review. 

Song: Well, please hurry! I can't wait to see those two at the beach!! ^_^

Ken of Melee: _Three_!! Oh, and it's just because I hardly do anything besides writing, so you can say, I have a lot op experience.

Jin: If you'd given me your email address, I would've asked for a description. You'll just have to do with how I did it.

Chibiki: :) Really? Wow, you must be good! Can you send them to me too? If I had a scanner, I'd post my own pictures somewhere on the net. Sadly enough, it's busted and I'm broke. ;_; [wails]

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter I Part 3: Request Accepted

"Have you seen John anywhere??"

"No, and personally, I don't care."

"Why's that?"

"Don't you remember what he did to poor Raye?! Didn't you see how hurt she was!?"

"...Yeah, I know. Poor Raye."

--

This conversation was held between two old friends. They had been friends since pre-school, and had gone to the same schools afterward, until they were forced to split up. It had been almost a year since they met each other again.

The first boy to speak, had been Nick. Nick was mighty tall; he had to bend his head down to be able to go through a door. He had short, light brown hair and wore contacts over his light green eyes, seeing as his glasses always annoyed the hell out of him. He wore a black shirt and some light blue jeans, along with some easy sneakers for his rather big feet. For his height, his feet were average-sized, but compared to his friends, his feet were huge. 

The other boy, was named Paul. Paul had dark blonde hair and gray colored eyes, and was a little short compared to others. Even so, he was accepted amongst people for who he was. He always wore some loose clothes, like what he wore at the moment. Currently, he wore a light yellow shirt with some baggy orange pants, and some red shoes. He also wore a chain with the eye of Horus on it around his neck, for good luck.

"But you have to admit, that had been years ago," Nick said as the duo walked down the streets.

Paul snorted and said: "I still can't forgive him. Just because she began to go into puberty early on, did _not_ give him the right to suddenly dump her."

"How is Raye anyway?" Nick asked.

"No idea. I haven't heard anything from her for years. I tried to get in touch, but Shine always answered and she always said Raye refused to talk to anyone over the phone."

Nick gave a sigh. Raye had been a friend of theirs, _way_ back, and had dated one of their other friends, John, for some time. But when Raye went into puberty at the age of 9, John mercilessly dumped her. Nick remembered seeing Raye storm off from school, yelling three words that had made everyone gasp in shock.

"I **_HATE_** YOU!!!"

After that, they had never seen her again. No phone-calls, no letters, no emails, no nothing.

Paul, who had been closest to Raye, had tried to phone her so many times, the bills shot through the roof, but Raye never phoned back. Paul was two years older than Raye, just like Nick, but they were still able to get along with the young girl.

"Hey, you in for going to my place and play MMT?" Nick asked.

Paul smiled and said: "Sure."

--

"Ah shoot!!" Nick cursed.

"Stupid shield!!" Paul said, fully agreeing with Nick.

Nick was busy fighting Bass at the moment, but Bass constantly summoned up his shield whenever he got the chance. It made the fight so much harder, that Nick had considered a few times to just turn off the game and start over. But Paul kept telling him to keep going, and Nick used every chip he could use, not throwing a single one to waste. 

"Come on come on come on! Hey!! Wait a second!!" Nick suddenly exclaimed.

Hurriedly, he chose three chips, in the correct order, and pressed 'OK'. The screen turned darker, and white letters between arrows said: "ADVANCE". Below, stood three chip-names. 

Sword A, WideSword B, and LongSword C. 

The names blinked, vanished, and made room for a single chip name. 

LifeSword1.

"Aaaaaaaaaand! GOTCHA!!!" Nick exclaimed as he lashed out at Bass with the sword, causing him to go up in a mass of explosions. 

Paul cheered loudly, and Nick instantly saved once the battle was over and done with. Nick continued with MegaMan, running across the Net, searching for any viruses, and the way out of this place!!

"Raye used to be so excited when we showed her these games, remember?" Paul suddenly asked.

Nick sighed and said: "I know. We showed her Mega Man, Mega Man X, Mega Man Zero... I wonder if she still likes those games."

"She always managed to get a perfect score somehow. Managed to get all elves with MMZ, all Upgrades, Sub- and Heart-Tanks with MMX, all CD's with MM&B (Mega Man & Bass)... She was the perfect MM warrior."

"Got that right. She was the best of the best. She even managed to beat Sigma in a few seconds flat. I still don't know how she did that."

"Knowing her enemies' weakness, I guess."

"But how did she know those?"

"Not a clue... WHOA!! Watch it!!"

"Shoot!!"

Nick hurriedly avoided a Mettfire's attacks, and fired wildly, deleting the virus in seconds flat. He gave a sigh and continued to battle viruses. 

He still remembered what Raye had said all those years back, when they had shown her Mega Man on their NES.

"Who's that blueberry??" she had asked, upon seeing the small picture of Mega.

"His name's Rock, but everyone calls him Mega Man," Nick explained the 7 inches shorter girl. "He has to save the world from a mad scientist named Dr. Wily."

"What is he mad at??" she had asked, looking confused with one eyebrow raised.

"Uh... a 'mad scientist', means an insane professor, you know, like," Paul had said, and finished with twirling one finger against the side of his head.

Raye had let out an 'oh', and watched him play, with much difficulty. After a while, he finally gave up when he couldn't beat one of the Robot Masters, and Raye started playing. She beat the game effortlessly in less than a few hours.

After that, she finished game after game, in the correct order. And then John came into the picture. For a while, all was fine, until something happened, and Raye never came by again. Nick was afraid that Raye might not even know them. It's been so long.

Nick gave a startled yelp when a surge of electricity suddenly lightly singed his hand, making him drop his controller on the ground. Sparks shot up around the duo, and Paul was saying something, but all Nick heard was a furious whine sounding loudly through his head, like that of a Buster being charged, so loud, that he thought he'd grow deaf. 

He could hear his heart pounding in his head, couldn't calm his rapid breathing as fear swept over him, before a flash of light, and then......

Darkness.

--

Paul groaned and rubbed his eyes to get rid of the unwilling sleep, before willing them to open. The sudden light made him blink a few times, before he managed to see what was around him. He was shocked to find himself no longer in Nick's room, but on a metro. 

Or... he thought it was.

It was far too tidy to be one of the metros in LA, and no one seemed to be intent on fighting someone, like the case had been for a few weeks. People were just chatting away, laughing and enjoying themselves, while others were simply reading newspapers of some sort.

Paul looked at himself, and noticed he still wore his clothes from before, but now, he also wore a light brown jacket over his shirt. Also, there was something on his belt, something he had only vaguely seen before. He pulled it from the 'holster' on his belt and looked at it for a while. It was dark red with green flames decorating it, and above a square screen, was the word 'PET'. 

Paul looked up, and noticed to his shock, that Nick wasn't around. Somehow, they must've gotten separated. He wasn't too sure how though.

"Paul! Paul, I'm here!!" a voice suddenly said from the PET he was holding.

Paul jumped slightly in surprise, before the screen flashed to life.

"Glad to see you're awake, Paul," Nick said, voice composed and calm, even though he seemed lightly spooked himself.

Nick wore ruby red armor with the emerald green Phoenix's symbol on the chest area, as well as on the caps on the side of his head that served as his ears, and had a smooth, pointed helmet that curved at the end, yet remaining sharply pointed, with a triangular gem on his forehead and two emerald lines ending at the point of his helmet. His boots and gloves were emerald green, but his fingers were ruby red. Also, he was holding a lance that resembled that of Zero during MMZ.

"Nick, where are we?" Paul asked quietly, not wanting to draw attention to them.

"I'm not sure," Nick said. "But I've got a good idea. Though I really don't mind, it kind of freaks me out."

"I know, me too."

Paul looked around, noting that no one was paying them any attention.

"Paul," Nick said, and Paul turned his attention to him. "I think we need some better names. I mean, I know I do."

"Yeah. But what would you be called?"

Nick grabbed his lance with both hands, leaning on it and tapping his fingers on it, contemplating what to name himself.

Finally he smiled and said: "How about; 'Ragnarok'?"

Paul blinked, then smiled.

"Sure, and my name'll be..." Paul paused to think. "Jinn."

"Okay."

--

Sometime later, the metro stopped, and Jinn walked out, looking about curiously. Wherever you got out on the metro, there was always a sign that said where you were. 

By the looks of it, they had arrived at Den City.

"Hey, isn't this where Chaud lives??" Jinn asked softly.

"I think so," Ragna said, not really sure.

"I've never been around here before," Jinn said warily. "Let's look around!"

"Fine by me!"

--

So, the duo took their sweet time exploring the city, which was, well, quite large. The buildings weren't all that high, but they were high enough to make it look like a city. People were walking across the streets, looking about stores here and there, and sometimes entering them to see the stuff inside. Jinn also went inside a few stores once or twice, marveling at the huge amount of stuff they could have in a single store.

"They sure have a lot of stuff around here," he said, looking into some kind of glass boll with colored smoke billowing inside of it.

"I saw an antique shop across the street. I think I saw some neat stuff there as well," Ragna informed calmly.

"Okay, let's check!" Jinn said, and headed for the store Ragna had pointed out.

It was quite a place. It was stocked with all kinds of interesting stuff, stuff Jinn and Ragna wouldn't be able to describe even if they tried.

"Hallelujah!! Look at all this stuff!!" Jinn exclaimed in awe, looking at something that looked like some sort of net, but looking a lot more fancy with those feathers and marbles in it, and those threads hanging from the bottom.

"Can I help you with anything?" a sudden voice asked, and Jinn let out a yelp as he whirled around.

He was staring straight into the calm face of Miyu, SkullMan's Operator. Jinn then recalled that Miyu owned an antique shop, but he'd forgotten where. Looks like he just figured it out.

"N-no, not really," Jinn said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Just looking around."

Miyu didn't respond, just stared at him with half-lidded eyes. Silence reigned, and it made Jinn feel uncomfortable. 

"Um... do I have something on my face??" Jinn asked, trying to stay polite.

".........May I see your hand?" Miyu asked.

Jinn looked confused but help up his hand to her, palm up. Miyu took his hand in both of hers and studied it carefully. Jinn allowed her too, not quite sure what she was trying to do. She lightly traced a few lines on Jinn's palm, and hummed a little.

"You have lost a friend once," Miyu suddenly said, making Jinn gasp. "Though you're not sure if she's still alive."

Ragna blinked, confused.

Jinn lowered his head a little and said: "Yeah. She left once and I never saw her again. I have no idea where she might've gone."

Miyu didn't answer as she released his hand.

"I have a feeling that you will see her again someday," she finally said, making Jinn look up.

"Really?" he asked, a tinge of happiness flowing back in his voice.

Miyu smiled, and nodded.

"Sooner than you might think."

--

"Plug in..."

"......Executed."

--

"I'm not too sure abou--huh?!" 

Jinn suddenly noticed sparks shooting off of something that looked like an advanced battle arena standing right behind Miyu. The thing started to emit a strange light, which only meant that it was about to explode.

"LOOK OUT!!!" Jinn shouted, and pushed Miyu and himself away, just before it exploded, sending both of them to the ground with small yelps of pain.

Miyu sat up, looking shocked at the now burning shop. She had seen this before, in a dream, but she wouldn't believe it at first. Now she had to.

"What's going on?!" Jinn exclaimed as the fire blocked their exit.

There was no way out. They were trapped, like animals.

Desperate, Jinn looked around, searching for anything that could be of use. His eyes suddenly landed on a large sheet hanging over a chair and he smiled, scrambling up and running over to it, pulling Miyu with him. Jinn quickly pulled the sheet from the chair and looked at it carefully. It was big enough for him and Miyu to hide under, and you could see right through it if it was soaked.

"We need to get this wet!!" he shouted to Miyu, seeing as the fire was making normal speech impossible.

Miyu nodded in understanding, and pulled a large bucket of water from behind the counter, which she dumped over the sheet, soaking it completely. She'd left the bucket there, just in case. Jinn nodded and threw the soaking sheet over them both.

He coughed from the smoke and said: "Let's go!!"

As fast as they could, they ran through the flames, trying not to stay still for too long in fear of burning up the blanket. The heat of the room was maddening, and it tried to eat at their skin multiple times, but they wouldn't allow it, running as fast as they could toward the exit.

After some running, they arrived at the exit, where the flames had died down for some reason. They removed the blanket, and Jinn coughed a little from the smoke. He never managed to stand it, seeing as his parents always smoked, which was the reason why he was always, either on his room, or outside. This wasn't any different in his own opinion. 

Miyu held onto his arm, and guided him away from the fire and toward the exit.

"Stop!!" Jinn shouted, and pulled Miyu back, just before a burning beam fell from the ceiling, blocking the exit.

Now, they really _were_ trapped.

"Jinn!!" Ragna said, and Jinn looked at his Navi. "The fire extinguishers aren't functioning!! Plug me in on the Net and I'll see if I can activate them!!"

Jinn nodded, and noticed a jack-in port near the entrance next to him. He pulled out the extension cord easily.

--

"Ragnarok.EXE!! Transmission!!!"

--

Ragna found himself in the fire extinguishers soon enough, and gasped in shock.

"Jinn!! This place is littered with computer viruses!!" he told his Operator.

"Oh no!! You don't think that..." Jinn started, almost afraid to know.

"Let's hope not!" Ragna said back, grasping his lance in both hands. "Here I go!!"

"Go for it, Ragna!!"

--

Ragna sliced another batch of Mettools into deletion, and stopped to be able to avoid a burst of plasma shot his way. A large blue cannon locked in on him, and took aim.

"High Cannon!! Slot in!!" Jinn said, inserting the chip.

Ragna's arm morphed into a large cannon, which he aimed at the blue cannon. The two cannons were fired at the same time, but Ragna's blast went right through the other, and deleted the virus easily. Ragna smirked. This was easy.

Ragna screamed in pain as a sudden blast of electricity hit him, electrocuting him with something close to a hundred-and-fifty volt.

"RAGNA!!!" Jinn screamed in shock.

The red and green Navi dropped to his knees once the flow stopped, and he looked up. His eyes widened in shock at what he saw.

Before him, stood a black and yellow Navi, with blood red eyes, yellow lightningbolts under his eyes, strange gloves, and an even stranger pack on his back. Standing before him was...

ElecMan.EXE.

--

"ElecMan!? I thought he got deleted along with World 3!!" Jinn exclaimed in shock.

Miyu, who was watching at his PET from over his shoulder, was shocked as well. She could've sworn Lan and MegaMan had deleted him. What was going on?!

"Darn!! Recover120!! Slot in!!"

--

"Ragna!? Can you get up?!" Jinn called out, and Ragna got to his feet without much trouble.

He stared at the other Navi, who simply watched, not even trying anything.

"You were supposed to be deleted!!" Ragna hissed.

ElecMan didn't respond for a moment, then smirked and said: "Maybe. But you're going first!!"

Before Ragna could blink, he had vanished. He quickly looked around, trying to find the bastard, but not finding him. He screamed again when a hand was placed on his shoulder and electricity surged through him like there was no tomorrow. 

ElecMan chuckled evilly, increasing the amount of electricity, making Ragna scream louder. 

Suddenly...

"Shotgun!! Slot in!!" a voice called out, and ElecMan turned around, but wasn't fast enough to dodge the barrage of plasma bursts hurled his way, sending him aside. 

SkullMan quickly ran over and help Ragna to his feet.

--

Jinn blinked and turned to Miyu, who was now also holding a PET, frowning angrily. Jinn smiled and turned back to his PET.

--

"Ragna!! Are you okay?!" Jinn asked.

Ragna nodded a little and said: "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little toasted, that's all."

"This is no time for jokes!!!" Jinn shouted angrily.

"Okay, okay! Jeez!!"

ElecMan growled angrily and shouted: "LIGHTNING STRIKE!!!" causing a large burst of electricity to burst forth.

"No more of that lightning stuff. LeafShield!! Slot in!!" Jinn said.

Leaves shot up around Ragna and SkullMan, before they evaporated, leaving a dark green shield around them. The lightning attack bounced right off --- straight back at ElecMan!! 

ElecMan gasped, and screamed as he became the victim of his own attack.

--

"Miss Miyu!! Do you have a WoodBlade?" Jinn asked, to which Miyu nodded, knowing his intention.

Together they shouted: "WoodBlade!! Slot in!!"

--

Ragna extended his left hand, while SkullMan extended his right. Their hands shifted into pure green blades, and they gave a yell as they ran toward the black and yellow Navi, who was still recovering from his own attack. ElecMan finally looked up, shocked, but was unable to stop the attack. 

"...Plug out..."

Before the two Navis could hit him, he dissipated into the words "LOG OUT" and was gone.

--

Jinn coughed again, and suddenly, the fire extinguishers zoomed to life, spraying everything wet within mere seconds. Miyu and Jinn smiled broadly as the fire died down within moments.

"We did it!!" Jinn exclaimed.

Ragna gave a sigh as he sat down.

"Yeah, but don't ask how."

Everyone started laughing.

--

"Look, I'm sorry about your store," Jinn started to apologize, but Miyu stopped him.

"Don't. It wasn't your fault that it happened. I'm more worried about that ElecMan though," she said, looking a little sad.

Jinn nodded and said: "I know. I just wonder where he came from. I mean, I thought he'd been taken out along with World 3."

Silence reigned for a while, until Jinn held up his hand. Miyu blinked, then smiled and shook his hand. Jinn smiled, and Miyu smiled back.

"I ought to be going now. I might see you again sometime," he said, and left for the subway, waving his new friend goodbye.

--

"Well," Jinn said, tossing his bag on the hotel bed and sitting down in a chair, "this turned out to be a bad day."

"Yep," Ragna replied.

"ElecMan... I haven't seen him since MMBN1. Where'd he come from all of a sudden?"

"I don't know. But I smell a Netmafia!"

"Yeah, I figured that to be the case. But what are we going to do about it?"

"Inform Lan! That's what!"

Jinn pulled out his PET and looked at Ragna.

"And how are we supposed to find him? He could be anywhere!"

"Lan's a City NetBattler, so he should do some requests for people every once in awhile."

Jinn blinked in confusion, then smiled.

"Of course! The request board at the Official Center!! Good thinking Ragna!"

"Well, I'm about the only one who does."

"HEY!!!"

"Just kidding just kidding!!" Ragna laughed. "Jeez! You're starting to act like Chaud!!"

Jinn was about to retort, when he stopped and blinked.

"Hey, I was."

"Well, at least you agree with me."

"I do not!!"

"Do too!!"

"Do not!!"

"Do too!!"

"Do not!!"

"Do too!!"

"Do not!!"

"......Do not."

"Do to--HEY!!!! NO FAIR!! THAT'S CHEATING!!!"

Ragna started laughing loudly, and it being contagious, Jinn soon followed.

--

"Jinn."

"Hmm?"

"Do you think Miyu was right?"

"Wha...... oh. I don't know. We'll just have to see."

"But imagine that! If we saw Raye again, what would she look like?"

"I'm not sure. Years make people change you know."

"Yeah. But do you think her hair would still be the same?"

"I'm not sure. It could've darkened for all we know."

"Or became as light as Shine's."

"I don't think Raye'd like that."

--

"Okay, deliver that at the Official Center, understood?" Jinn said.

"Roger that!" Ragna said, and was off.

He started running across the Net, heading from area to area to get where he had be. It took him quite some time, but he finally came there. Ragna calmly stepped into the portal, and was transported to the Square. 

When he came there, he looked around curiously. The place was more of a city than a square, and it would probably take awhile for him to find his way. Navis were shopping for chips, sub-chips, and other stuff they might need, or some were just walking about with no purpose at all. Ragna had a feeling like he wasn't even on the Net anymore. This seemed to be just your average city.

After quite some searching, Ragna finally arrived at the Official Center. It looked much like the center in the real world, though slightly different all the same. Ragna watched it for a moment, before walking inside. 

--

The place was crowded with Navis, walking about this way or that. The racket sounding through the Center was enough to bring a loud stereo to shame, and people were cranky for no reason at all. Ragna sometimes picked up an insult hurled at another Navi, and knew that it would be impossible to calm those Navis down, because the Operators were also arguing, which wasn't improving the situation. 

In other words, it was quite busy.

Ragna however, avoided any unnecessary contact, and easily found the request board. He walked over to the Navi standing beside it, because Ragna could easily tell he belonged with the Center's staff due to the emblem on his chest.

"Excuse me," Ragna said, and the Navi looked up, surprised at Ragna's height.

"Uh... yes, can I help you?" the Navi asked.

"I have a request to post for my Operator. Is that possible to do here?" Ragna asked politely.

"Yeah, sure. Just type in the request and it'll be displayed in the real world."

"Thank you."

Ragna turned to the board, and typed the request quite quickly.

--

__

My Navi and I are in quite a fix. During a trip in Den City, we came across some unpredicted trouble and need help. We have heard rumors of some kind of "Blue Bomber" who took out both World 3 and Gospel, and we think he might be able to help. If anyone knows this Navi, or his Operator, please tell them we really need to talk to them. We will be waiting at the Moonshine Hotel Entrance. Please accept our request.

--

"I'm done, Jinn."

"Okay, jack out!"

--

"Did you post the request?" Jinn asked.

"Yeah. It was hard to find the Center, but I made it," Ragna said calmly.

Jinn gave a sigh.

"Well, guess we'll have to wait."

"Okay."

Jinn yawned and said: "Let's get some shut-eye."

"Good idea."

--

Jinn woke up to a persistent ringing noise, and toppled out of his bed in shock.

"Ragna!!" Jinn whined, knowing the cause for the sound.

"Rise and shine, Jinn! It's already close to noon!! Even Lan's awake by now!!" Ragna said with a satisfied smile.

"How do you know?" Jinn asked, rubbing the lump on the back of his head.

"You've got mail, by the way," Ragna said without answering.

Jinn grumbled and checked it.

--

__

From: NBOC

Subject: Request

Message: Request accepted

-- 

****

Okay. That was the last team. Hey! Whatever happened to Shine and Ray.eh!! I mean Muramasa?!


	4. Chapter II Part 1: The Fight

****

A/N: Alright, let's find out what became of Shine and Muramasa, okay?

------------------------------------

renagade hunter: That'll probably take awhile, but they'll meet, don't worry. And yes, it probably will be.

TJ and Rikumon: Thanks for the compliment. And yes, that was a bad pun. -_-;

None of your Buisness: It was my pleasure. And thank you for your compliment.

maverickzero: I know, I was running out of intros anyway.

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter II Part 1: The Fight

"I don't care what you freaking think of me!!"

"You know, I'm really surprised that Shine didn't delete you from the start!!"

"I'm surprised that anyone can stand being around you at all!! You're such an incompetent JERK!!"

"I'd rather be a jerk than a rabid bitch!!"

"Get down here and say that in my face you coward!!!"

--

Honestly, do I have to tell you who those were? For those who didn't realize, those were Proto and Muramasa. Proto had had the guts to piss off Muramasa and had already received a few dents in his armor, before he'd found a rather secure spot someplace above Muramasa. At least Muramasa hadn't tried to get up to him yet.

"Hey! Calm down already!" Mega said, roughly placing a hand on Muramasa's shoulder. "No offense, but you should really learn to calm down."

Muramasa didn't answer, before shrugging off Mega's hand and turning away with a huff. Proto gave a small smirk, before...

"And as for you Proto!!" Mega shouted to the red armored Navi. "Stop provoking people!! It's not just Muramasa's fault for blowing up on you!!"

Proto didn't answer, before he scoffed and jumped back down. Muramasa glared at him from the corner of her eyes, then cocked her head up with a huff, closing her eyes defiantly.

"Bakayoro," she said cockily, before walking off, leaving Proto and Mega behind, both confused.

Roll blinked and said: "She was pretty angry."

GutsMan simply scratched his chin in confusion.

--

"Bakayoros! All of them!!" Muramasa muttered, finally coming to a halt.

She stood beside a large rock of some kind, growling and clenching her fists in anger. With a roar of fury, she spun around. With a loud rumbling sound, the rock beside her shattered on impact with her tail. It crumbled easily, and Muramasa's tail whooshed about violently. She looked up, took a deep breath, and screamed.

"_KUUUUUSSSSOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!_" she hollered. "_ONE OF THESE DAYS!! I SWEAR I'LL PERMANENTLY DELETE THAT MOTHERFUCKING ASSHOLE!!!!_"

Once she stopped, she took a few deep breaths, fists twitching violently, wanting to desperately hit something. Finally though, the tight grip relaxed, and she uncurled her fingers, cyberblood pouring from the cut veins in her hands, caused by her extended nails. Muramasa inhaled deeply through her nose, and exhaled through her mouth, closing her eyes. She opened them and held up her hands. The cyberblood was a dark purplish hue, and looked rather sticky.

Nevertheless, it soothed Muramasa's nerves. She placed her hands on her knees, and sat down, crosslegged. She had been angry long enough. She _desperately_ needed to calm down. 

So, Muramasa focused on nothing but her breathing, closing her eyes calmly, and pressing her bloodied palms together, mixing the blood. 

--

"Yup, that was a bad idea, Proto," Shine said with a nod at Proto. "Muramasa's easy to anger. And she can get angry enough to get violent...... but I think you already knew that."

Proto scoffed.

Their Operators had come to check on them a few moments back, and had heard what had happened from the five remaining Navis. Shine took it relatively well though. The others were either concerned about Muramasa, or mad at Proto for making her leave.

"Give it time," Shine said. "She just needs to calm down. She'll be back before you know it."

Lan looked at her and said: "You're awfully calm."

Shine smiled and said: "Well, like people always say, Muramasa and I are opposite personalities. She's easily steamed, while for me, it takes a lot to get me riled up. She likes to fight and... well... I'm sort of a pacifist."

Dex looked at her oddly.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

Shine blushed a little.

"Uh... Muramasa usually does the fighting if we need to. But I think she's a little addicted."

"No shit!!" a sudden voice called out from the arena, and all Navis whirled around.

Muramasa calmly walked over, looking a whole lot better than before, seeing as she was no longer glaring daggers. Her walk was composed, like she would not accept anything else. With long strides, she stalked over, and finally came to a halt, hands fisted, and eyes cold and emotionless. Like that was new, though.

"I see you calmed down a little," Shine said, then seemed to think a little. "Genki des ka?"

"Ch. Genki desu," Muramasa answered fluently.

The other Navis blinked, not at all knowing what they just said. however, they didn't seem to want to explain, so they let it drop.

"Hey Muramasa!" Lan suddenly said, and the gray-haired female Navi looked up at him. "You think you stand a chance against MegaMan?"

Muramasa blinked and looked at the blueberry.

"I dunno," she said. "Can I, Shine?"

"Well... you could try," Shine said.

--

Pretty soon, the two new combatants were standing on the opposite sides of an empty arena, both ready to rock.

"This is probably going to be a long fight!" Lan said, smirking to Shine.

Shine nodded and said: "Yeah. I suspected as much."

Mayl looked from one to another, and raised her hand.

"On your marks!" she said, and the two NetBattlers grabbed their PET's. 

Lan's PET was light blue, while Shine's PET was dark gray with pitch black at some places.

"Get set! GO!!!"

--

"Plug in!! MegaMan.EXE!! Transmission!!"

"Plug in!! Muramasa.EXE!! Transmission!!"

--

The two Navis found themselves facing each other, both as calm as could be. Muramasa took on a battle position pretty quick, ready to fight whenever Mega was ready. Mega also got into a battle pose, prepared for anything.

Finally, the words "BATTLE START" flew across the ground, and Mega opened fire with his MegaBuster. Muramasa saw this and jumped out of the line of fire, before starting to fire at him too with her right Buster. Mega jumped up to avoid, charged his Buster, and fired at Muramasa. She growled and rolled aside to avoid the blast.

--

"Long Sword!! Slot in!!" Lan said, sliding in a chip.

--

Mega's hand instantly shifted into a sword, and when he landed on the ground, he ran at the other Navi, moving from one row to another to try and confuse her. Muramasa's eyes followed the Navi's movements, just before Mega swung the blade at her.

Before the blade even got close, Muramasa jumped over the blow, before kicking Mega in his face with both feet and sending him away. 

--

"Shotgun!! Slot in!!" Shine said, inserting the destined chip.

--

Muramasa's hand shifted into a Buster, and she quickly took aim. Mega shook his head, just before Muramasa fired. The single burst of plasma shot off, before it separated into smaller pellets, nearly hitting the rather agile Navi. Muramasa frowned.

"Speedy blueberry," she mumbled. "Hmph. Well, two can play at that game!"

--

"High Cannon!! Slot in!!"

--

Mega's arm completely shifted into a large cannon, which he aimed at Muramasa.

--

"Speed+60!! Slot in!!"

--

The blue Navi fired, and the large purple blast was hurled at Muramasa. She simply smirked --- and vanished right before the blast could hit her!!

"Huh!?" Mega exclaimed in shock.

"Too slow!!" a voice behind him said, and just as he whirled around, he received a punch to his jaw, sending him to the ground.

--

"MegaMan!!" Lan exclaimed in horror.

Shine pulled out another chip.

"This should be enough to finish the fight, don't you think?" she asked.

Lan looked confused.

--

"Paladin Sword!! Slot in!!"

--

Muramasa held up her arm, watching as it glowed a pure white, shifting into a huge blue blade, surrounded by electric sparks. Mega looked up in shock as the other Navi smirked evilly, before running at him.

--

"Fighter Sword!! Slot in!!" Lan said hurriedly.

--

Muramasa's downward slash was stopped by Mega's sword, who growled at the other Navi. Muramasa returned the favor with equal ferocity, before the duo had to jump away to avoid the electric discharge caused by the two blades clashing against each other. 

"Damn it!" Muramasa cursed quietly. 

Mega growled angrily.

"Alright! I've had enough!!" Lan exclaimed. "Mega!? Ready?!"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Mega said calmly.

Muramasa got into a battle pose. She had a feeling this was going to be bad.

--

Lan pulled out three chips instead of one, and Shine gulped unnoticeable. She knew what was going to happen now.

--

"PROGRAM ADVANCE!!!" Lan and Mega screamed at the same time, their bodies fully synchronized. "EXECUTE!!!" 

"Fire Sword!! Slot in!!"

Mega's right hand converted into a large flaming blade.

"Aqua Sword!! Slot in!!"

Then his left hand changed into a pure blue sword, seemingly made out of water.

Muramasa scoffed. 

'He's out of hands.'

"Elec Sword!! Slot in!!"

'LifeSword2, PA #20 from MMBN2, 500 HP damage,' she thought, then smirked. 'This is going to be fun.'

Mega was surrounded in a pure yellow aura, and pretty soon, he was holding a furious blue blade in his hands, sparking with water, electricity and fire. With a loud yell, Mega ran at the female-Navi. Muramasa frowned and got ready for the hit sure to come.

--

"She won't survive an attack like that!!" Dex exclaimed in shock.

Everyone was staring at the two Navis as MegaMan ran at Muramasa with the large blade in his hands. And Muramasa did nothing but stare as Mega continued running at her. Even Lan was starting to have his doubts, but there was no turning back now.

Shine watched in horror as Mega lashed at Muramasa with all his might.

--

Right before the blade was supposed to hit, Muramasa ducked, grabbed Mega by his neck, planted her foot in his stomach, and catapulted him right over her. Mega gave a yelp as he fell on the ground, the sword vanishing almost immediately. Muramasa got up with a smirk.

"What a way to waste a PA," she mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear.

Mega shot up, angered out of his wits.

"How the hell did you do that?!" he demanded.

Muramasa chuckled, then said: "It pays off to know every PA there is from the back of your head, seeing as it can help you in battles against your enemies. But honestly, was that the best you got? If so, I suggest you give up right now."

--

"I'd believe her if I were you, Lan," Shine said, looking at Lan with a worried look. "Once Muramasa starts fighting for real, there's no stopping her."

Lan didn't respond for awhile. He just watched the Navi who had managed to avert a PA, which no one had succeeded in so far. He had already seen the damage Muramasa could do when she was pissed off, but how would she be when she was thinking clearly? Too tough for him to beat right now, easy answer there.

"MegaMan! Time to show her what you can _really_ do!!" Lan ordered.

--

Mega smirked, and said: "We're nowhere NEAR finished!!"

Muramasa frowned. She had a pretty good idea where this was going, but strangely enough, she was not afraid.

"Then hurry up already!! I don't have all day you know!!" she said, placing her hands on her hips, showing she was getting irritated.

Mega growled, and Muramasa suddenly noticed that his eyes were spacing out, or rather, glazing over with unspoken anger. Green electricity began to spark around him, and a large green barrier came up around him, shielding him almost completely. He glowed a pure white, covering him in a veil of light that nearly blinded her.

With a startled yelp, she raised her arms and closed her eyes to protect her eyes. After a while, she peeked through.

"N-nani?!" she uttered.

A pair of furious emerald fires burned at her, trapped behind the glass that were the Navi's eyes. Shimmering emerald green armor adorned the well-built body, and his face was contorted into a dark, mysterious frown. The armor shimmered like gold in the sun, only in green.

Silence reigned for a long while as Muramasa seized up her opponent.

'Saito-MegaMan, Charge, Defense and Attack double the maximum, Speed reduced to minimum, HP quadrupled......' she thought, before her thoughts stopped. '.....................I... am... so... in... really... big... trouble... now...'

--

Muramasa blocked a kick to her head, but the blow proved to be too much as it sent her soaring through the air, before she crashed into a wall, denting it beyond compare. For awhile, she didn't move. Her face was contorted into a frown, and anger was starting to spark behind her eyes. Even so, she remained still, contemplating.

'I wasn't kidding... not at all...' she thought staring down at her dented armor and the countless amount of scratches and bruises starting to form. 

Her gaze slowly went from her wounds to the calm and composed figure of Saito, whose eyes were hidden in shadows as he stalked over, slow and easy. 

'I can outrun him with my speed... but his defense is too high to get any hits in... hmmm...'

Suddenly, her rational thinking stopped dead, and her eyes narrowed to mere slits. Her vision turned blazing red, and she couldn't think anything of it. 

--

Saito stopped in confusion as he saw her eyes burn up in anger, before she screamed and shot at him. He easily dodged the flurry of punches she flung at him, before starting to counter, blocking her punches with his own, causing a small electric discharge with every hit. With a yell of fury, she lunged out at the same time as he did.

Their fists connected with each other's jaws instead of their fists, like they had originally intended. The amount of strength behind the blows was enough to stun both Navis for a small moment, before he recovered and kneed her in her stomach, hard. She gave a groan of pain, before her fist zoomed up and she gave him an uppercut to his jaw, sending him back a few feet.

Saito cursed and rubbed his chin. For some reason, she was getting stronger, he could feel it in her attacks. But what had caused this sudden change? He had no clue, but to be honest...

He smirked.

'This'll be fun.'

--

"Holy moly! Look at those two!!" Dex exclaimed as he watched the two Navis battle.

"What on earth are they doing!? How can they be so strong!?" Mayl asked, unsure of what was going on.

"Golly, how long will this take?" Yai wondered.

The only ones who were silent, were Lan, Shine, and Chaud. Muramasa and Saito kept on fighting, beating the crap out of each other. But no one seemed to be winning.

'I'm starting to think this wasn't such a good idea,' Lan thought in despair.

--

Saito finally had enough and placed his open palm against her stomach, which glowed brightly, before a bright pelt of plasma sent the female-Navi away from him. He locked-on on the place where she landed, and started firing plasma pellets that kept increasing in size from his bare hand, before stopping to charge up. 

Muramasa shakily got up to her feet, her body shuddering violently as cyberblood poured from wounds and came rushing from her mouth. She kept choking on it, but still no rational thought entered her brain. Her head snapped up when she heard something that sounded like a horde of banshees screaming, but knew what it was without looking around.

When the blast was released, she never had the chance to turn around.

--

"MURAMASA!!!" Shine shouted in horror as a large explosion followed.

Everyone gasped in horror as they watched the smoke billow up, not believing what had just happened. Their ears were still ringing from the explosion, but their faces were still pale and wearing shocked expressions.

"Did... did he... delete her??" Roll asked, almost afraid to know.

"........."

Shine looked like she was about to cry, but she desperately tried to hide it. Silence hung in the air, and no one dared to move, or utter a sound. It just didn't seem right now, nor was there anything else that was. There was nothing that would possibly be able to heal the young girl's heart. Sure, Muramasa was a bitch most of the times, but that didn't mean she was completely heartless. 

Shine knew that somewhere below that tough façade, was the sister she had lost years ago. But that part refused to resurface and face the harshness of the world. But even so, she still loved her sister.

"Onnechan......" Shine whimpered inaudible, just before her eyes widened in shock.

"The hell?!!?" Chaud exclaimed all of the sudden.

Everyone looked at the arena again, and gasped in shock and confusion.

--

Saito blinked, arm still raised, but his face confused. The smoke was becoming thinner, and he easily saw the dark silhouette, standing defiantly against the smoke, as it slowly dissipated. Burning magenta flames, locked in eyes of glass, holding them inside to keep them from going insane. Face contorted in a furious frown, cyberblood streaming down one side, and half her armor torn from her body, as well as bleeding like there was no tomorrow. Dark gray hair, hanging over the shoulder of her wounded side, drenched in thick cyberblood, seemed to billow lightly in a nonexistent wind. One arm was raised, palm spread out, before it was lowered.

"Now you've done it," she hissed, her voice sounding more like the chilling northern winds. "NOW YOU'VE REALLY DONE IT!!!" 

Her hands fisted, shifting into a pair of Busters, which charged up with a furious whine as energy started to gather at the barrels. Her teeth were exposed as she growled, before she brought both her arms forward, and made the plasma merge.

Muramasa screamed, and shot a large bolt of plasma at Saito, who was still too shocked to respond, before it hit him head on. The blast sent both Navis crashing in the destined walls behind them. Saito reverted back to MegaMan as he lost consciousness, and Muramasa coughed up blood once more, before promptly passing out.

--

"Shine, remind me not to do that again, okay?" Lan said as Mega and Muramasa were being healed.

"Deal," she said, shaking his hand on it.

Lan's PET suddenly started bleeping, and he quickly picked it up, switching it on.

"Mega? Mega! You alright?!" he asked frantically after entering the password for his PET.

Mega shook his head a little, looking a bit groggy, but then he said: "I think so. But what happened exactly? I can't really remember what happened after Muramasa went crazy on me."

Shine and Lan looked at each other, then shook their heads.

"Don't bother, Mega," Shine said. "It's best you forget anyway."

"Oh... okay."

"I...itai!!" a familiar voice suddenly said, and Shine hurriedly grabbed her own PET.

"Muramasa?!" she asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Hai, hai, genki desu," Muramasa mumbled, rubbing her eyes sleepily, before giving a yawn. "The hell?? I'm tired as hell...... ugh... I seriously need a rest."

Shine looked up at the sky, and noticed that it was already close to nightfall. She suddenly remembered something, and gasped, covering it with a hand.

"Oh God! We still have to find a place to stay!!" she exclaimed, which was slightly muffled by her hand. "I totally forgot!!"

Muramasa looked at her a little drowsily, and she kept nodding off, but she tried to stay awake as best as she could.

"Why don't you ask if you can camp here with Lan and the others?" she offered through a yawn. "Gomen."

Shine smiled at her Navi and said: "That's okay. Take a rest for awhile, okay?"

Muramasa nodded in thanks and mumbled: "Arigatou."

"Oyasuminasai," Shine said.

"Oyasuminasai," Muramasa returned lazily, and the screen flicked off.

With a sigh, Shine leaned against a wall.

"You okay?" Lan asked.

Shine looked at him, and asked: "Do you think I could camp with you guys? I had to look for a hotel, but with all the ruckus about Muramasa and Mega, I guess I forgot."

Lan smiled and said: "No problem. We always have an extra sleeping bag with us and I'm sure you can sleep with one of the girls."

Shine smiled too.

"Thanks Lan."

"Anytime."

--

"Hey, Chaud?" Shine asked, peeking into the tent cautiously.

"Hmm?"

Chaud looked up for a moment, looking at the young whitehead. She was looking at him with a curious look, her hair down onto her shoulders, framing her face.

"Yeah?" he asked, wondering why she'd come to him in the middle of the night.

"Would you mind if I sleep here? Yai snores, and the others closed their tents from the inside," Shine said, explaining the situation quickly.

Chaud suddenly noticed that she was clutching a pillow, and her PET. She had probably left the mattress and blanket outside.

"Yeah, sure, come on in," Chaud mumbled, lying back down again.

Shine smiled and pulled her mattress and blanket inside the tent, lying it on the other side of it, beside Chaud. She calmly placed her pillow down, and snuggled up under the blanket, smiling slightly.

"G'night," she said to Chaud, before attempting to go to sleep.

"Whatever," she heard Chaud mumble groggily.

Shine frowned, and sat up, looking at Chaud again, who had his arm slung over his eyes.

"We're not going through _this_ again, are we?" she asked.

"Whatever," Chaud mumbled, but Shine noticed he was trying to hide a smirk.

Shine looked shocked, then irritated.

"You're doing that on purpose! Aren't you!?" she demanded, already knowing the answer.

"Whatever," Chaud said again, this time unable to stop his chuckling.

Shine growled a little, then a light seemed to pop up in her head. 

Before Chaud knew what happened, his pillow was ripped away from under his head, and he got hit with it in his face!

"The hell?!" Chaud exclaimed, just before receiving another hit from his own pillow.

"You jerk!!" Shine said, hitting him again and again. "Say you're sorry!!"

Chaud sat up, and avoided another hit. He frowned, and grabbed Shine's pillow.

"Never!!" he said, and began to hit her too.

"Ow!! You coward!!" Shine shrieked, though it was quietly, so as not to wake the others. "I'm gonna get you for that one!!"

So they started an all-out pillow-fight, laughing as they got each other quite a couple of times. And it lasted for quite a while, until Chaud managed to 'unarm' Shine, and had her pinned down to her own mattress.

"Hey!!!" Shine exclaimed. "Let me go you jerk!!!!"

"No," Chaud said with a smirk. "Only if you say you're sorry."

Shine gasped, then frowned and said: "No way!! Now get off or else!!"

"Or else what?" Chaud challenged.

Shine thought fast for a moment, then smirked, much like her sister would.

"Or else, this!!" she said, and cocked her head up with lightning fast speed.

Chaud instantly jumped back, shocked out of his wits. Shine sat up, smiling wickedly.

"What was that for?!" Chaud demanded.

"To get you off of me!!" Shine said childishly, grabbing her pillow and snuggling back under her blankets. "Night."

Chaud didn't move for quite some time, before he finally fell asleep himself.

Neither of them had noticed the strange light flickering on, nor did they see it turn off.

--

"Hey Lan!! Wake up already!!" Shine called out, and dumped the bucket of ice water over the teen's head.

Lan shot up with a yelp of surprise, wide awake.

"What the--!?" he started.

"Morning Lan!!" Shine said with a smile.

"You sleep like a rock!! Honestly," Muramasa said with a smirk, arms crossed over her chest.

Mega snorted and said: "Then you won't think it's strange that he's hardly on time for school."

"Shut up, Mega!!!" Lan said, embarrassed.

Muramasa had the urge to roll her eyes and say 'Tell me something I don't know', but she kept her yap.

"Everybody's up already!!" Shine said. "Come on! Hurry up!!" 

--

Shine lazily strolled past the river, when she noticed Lan standing on a small bridge of stones, one hand pulled back and his face contorted in concentration. Shine blinked in confusion, not comprehending what he was doing.

"What's he doing?" she asked.

"Catching fish, what else?" Muramasa answered sarcastically.

Shine blinked.

"With his bare hands?"

__

SPLASH!! SPLASH!! SPLASH!!

A rather big fish suddenly landed on the stone bridge, followed by plenty more about the same size. Shine gasped as Lan threw fish after fish onto the shore, without even breaking a sweat.

"Whoa," Shine exclaimed.

Muramasa simply chuckled, arms crossed over her chest.

"At least he's good at something," she mumbled.

--

Some hours later, everyone was on their way home. Surprisingly, Shine went with Chaud. 

"Hey Shine," Muramasa suddenly said.

"Yeah?" Shine asked, pulling out her PET.

"What happened yesterday? I can't remember anything after Saito kicked me into the wall."

"I think it's best that you don't."

"But why were you so worried? You KNOW I can handle myself just fine!"

"Onnechan, I'm always worried about you."

"Stop. Calling. Me. THAT!!!" Muramasa hissed angrily.

"Gomen."

"Oh uh... Shine?"

"Hmm?"

Muramasa looked around, noting that Chaud wasn't around at the moment. She then turned to Shine.

--

"Did you kiss Chaud last night??"

-- 

****

Hallelujah. This chapter came out quick. Normally, a fight takes me days to write. I notice I'm better in describing NetBattles than ordinary battles. Now how can that be?


	5. Chapter II Part 2: The Search

****

A/N: Alright, where did Lan and Mega go, and what became of Mike and Razor? Let's find out. Also, sorry for the holdup. I've been busy with making a comic on my PC. If anyone wants to try them, give me your email-address, and I'll send a few of them to you. I warn you though, I suck at humor. -_-;; 

------------------------------------

None of your Buisness: Well, if I'm honest with myself, that was one of the best fights I ever wrote. Still, I could do better (don't know how, but it's possible).

Song: Couldn't help it! I just _had_ to put it in!

maverickzero: I will.

Song: 'Don't sell the skin before the bear's shot'. That's an old saying here which means 'don't take your conclusions too fast'. I mean, did I actually _write_ that Shine kissed Chaud??

Youkai Ryuu: Woops!! Sorry about that! I always confuse those :( Anyway, thanks for correcting me. Translations?? Uh… I'll write them below the reviews.

Chibiki: Well, Bass is cool, I admit that, (I have something with those anime-bad/mysterious-guys, I don't know what it is 0.0) but he can't kick Mega's ass. Bass is just too overconfident for that. ^_^ Thanks.

Dr. Bross: Yep. It was Japanese. 

Sirk: Not really. Ragnarok was the name of some kind of holy blade, but I forgot who wielded it. And Jinn is just another word for Genie.

TJ and Rikumon: I never said I hated your jokes, it was just a bad pun. Oh, and about that figure, don't get your hopes up about it, because I'm known to give almost every story a violent twist, leaving everyone thoroughly confused.

------------------------------------

Japanese words:

Oyasuminasai – loosely translated, it means 'Good night' or 'Sweet dreams'.

Genki des ka – commonly, it just means 'How are you?'

Genki desu – that means 'I'm fine'. 

****

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter II Part 2: The Search

"Why did Shine go with Chaud anyway?"

"You jealous??"

"Jealous?!? Of what?!"

"I dunno, you tell me."

"Mega!!!"

"Hey! I'm kidding!! You know that!!"

--

Lan arrived at the Official Center quite easily using the metroline. He needed something to do, so he figured he could do some requests for people. If there were any good requests that is. Lately, people have been asking for things they could easily handle themselves. Those were cases he really didn't like.

"You think there're some good requests?" Mega asked.

"I dunno. Why don't we check?" Lan said, and was about to head downstairs, when someone tapped him on his shoulder.

Lan whirled around, surprised to see a boy around his own age standing there. 

"You're Lan Hikari, MegaMan.EXE's Operator, right?" the boy asked.

"Uh… yeah, why?" Lan asked.

The boy smiled and said: "There's a request for you. Something about a problem in Den City. Don't know what it was about, the request didn't say so."

"Oh, uh, thanks," Lan said, not completely trusting this guy. "Who are you anyway?"

"Who, me?" the boy asked. "Name's Mike. I'm a City NetBattler since yesterday, but it was mostly Razor's doing."

"Razor???" Mega questioned.

"That would be me!!" a voice said from Mike's PET.

Mike pulled out his PET, which was a dark green hue with dark blue spikes sticking out at some places, and Lan looked at the screen curiously.

"They said you needed to have a Z- or B-License to get an A-License, but I got one without either of them," Razor said with a cocky smirk.

"Whoa! You must be good!!" Mega said, impressed.

"Pah! I've just trained a lot with a friend," Razor said calmly. "Oh, and you'd better take that request. I think it's rather important."

"Okay. Maybe we'll see you guys later. Bye!!" Lan said, and ran down the stairs.

Mike watched him go, then said: "I get the feeling he doesn't trust us."

"Now why would that be?" Razor asked sarcastically.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Mike demanded.

"Nothing," Razor said innocently. "Hey, let's do some requests ourselves. I'm getting bored!"

"Oh fine!!"

--

"This looks promising," Mike said. "Listen to this;

__

My computer's been acting funny for awhile. I can't touch it without being zapped, so I can't get on the Net either. Also, metal and copper things are flying at it. I'm too afraid to have my Navi deleted, so I'm looking for a fellow City NetBattler with a tough Navi who'll do me this one favor. If you accept, please come to my villa in ADCD Town."

"'Villa'??" Razor repeated. "That's Yai! No doubt about it!"

"If she can't handle it, it must be something. Let's do it!" 

--

"Jesus Christ!!" Razor exclaimed. "It's a whole lot bigger than in the game!!"

Indeed it was. The house was much wider, and the garden was more like a miniature jungle. It was still yellow though. However, it took some time for Mike to find the entrance, seeing as there was a gate blocking entrance to intruders.

"This has to be it," Mike said, reaching the driveway. 

He pushed the intercom button and waited. The screen flicked to life, and a familiar voice popped up.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Glyde asked calmly.

Mike quirked an eyebrow and said: "Did someone in this house need a City NetBattler?"

Glyde blinked.

"Hang on a moment," he finally said, and the screen flicked off.

The gate slowly creaked open.

"Come on in!!" a girl's voice said cheerily.

Mike smiled, and walked down the road toward the house.

--

"Good morning! I'm Yai, and this is Glyde, my Navi," Yai said, introducing herself and her Navi.

Mike smiled and bowed to the younger girl, saying: "Pleasure to meet you. I am Mike, and this is Razor."

Razor saluted the girl and said: "Razor.EXE reporting for duty, ma'am!"

Yai smiled and blushed a little.

"Likewise," she said. "Come on. I'll show you the problem."

Mike was guided through the large house, toward Yai's bedroom. When they entered, Mike instantly noticed that there was a lot of stuff sticking to the PC. 

"Whoa! Did your computer change into a magnet or something??" Mike asked.

"I was starting to suspect that myself."

--

"Plug in!! Razor.EXE!! Transmission!!"

--

Razor shot down in a beam of dark blue and green and looked about.

"Whoa. The place is littered with viruses!" he said.

The place was a real mess. Electric viruses were causing mayhem all over, and of course, the usual Mettools were there too. Razor took a deep breath while rolling his eyes, and sighed with his eyes closed.

"I'll be done in a few moments," he said, and slid out his blades.

With a yell, Razor shot forward, lashing five Mettools apart with a simple slash, before running off to delete the rest. He jumped back and forth across the Net, deleting viruses with a simple lash of his blades as he went, speeding this way or that. 

Once all viruses were gone, Razor stopped, and didn't move a muscle. He didn't even blink for a few minutes.

When he did, he said: "That was a little _too_ easy."

He looked around carefully, trying to find something, though he wasn't sure what. 

--

"Razor? What's wrong?" Mike asked.

"I don't know. I have a feeling something's about to ha--AAAAAAAAH!!!"

Yai and Mike looked at each other in shock. Something had happened indeed.

--

"Razor!! Razor!! You okay?!"

Razor slowly got up, holding his head. He didn't say anything for awhile; his head was still ringing from whatever had slammed into his back.

"………………………Ouch."

He turned around, his face masked in anger. When he saw who had hit him, his face didn't even show the confusion and shock it wanted to.

'MagnetMan?? I thought he was deleted in MMBN2 during Gospel's reign. ………Ah, oh well! At least I've got something to do.'

"Let me guess, MagnetMan, right?" Razor said, still looking pissed off as hell.

MagnetMan didn't say anything, until he smirked. Razor whirled around when he heard a strange whoosh behind him. MagnetMan had somehow gotten behind him. ……No, wait a minute.

Razor looked back, and noticed MagnetMan still standing on his previous spot. When he turned again, he suddenly noticed that that MagnetMan was blue instead of red.

"Uh-oh…" Razor mumbled, just before the two Navis shot at him.

Razor looked back and forth between them, before placing his hands on his hips with a sigh, and jumping up. The two Navis knocked their heads together, and stumbled away, the blue MagnetMan vanishing without a trace.

"Oh please," Razor said as he landed back on the ground. "Don't tell me you thought I'd fall for that! That trick was just old!"

MagnetMan growled in anger, and Razor simply smirked. A strange whine suddenly sounded around the Net, but only MagnetMan looked around for the source. Razor continued to smirk wickedly.

When the whine became too much, Razor grabbed both his Busters and aimed them at MagnetMan.

"Uh… oh…"

"SURPRISE!!!" Razor screamed, and fired.

The large bolts of plasma hit the red Navi head-on, and it gave Razor the time to place his Busters away and draw his blades. With a yell, Razor shot forward at the Navi. Magnet growled and pulled his fist back to punch. Razor jumped aside to avoid the hit, and lashed downward with a yell.

Magnet screamed as his arm landed on the ground and vanished in a mass of small blue cubes. 

--

"About time we finish this!" Mike said. "Mega Cannon!! Slot in!!"

--

Razor's arm shifted into a large cannon, which was easily aimed at MagnetMan. Razor fired, but before the bolt could hit the other Navi, he dissipated into the words "LOG OUT".

"Damn him! He got away!!" Razor cursed in anger.

"Razor!! Calm down!! We'll get him some other time! Okay?!" Mike said, trying to calm his Navi.

"Some other time," Razor repeated with a nod.

"Okay. Jack out."

--

With loud crashes, the stuff attached to the PC dropped onto the desk. Mike winced from the sound and jacked out.

"Well… that went easy."

"_Too _easy if you ask me," Razor mumbled.

Yai whistled, then asked: "What was that?"

"If I'm not mistaking, that had been one of Gospel's Navis. Or one of World 3's, but I'm not sure," Mike said.

"Gospel, definitely Gospel," Razor said calmly.

Yai smiled, and turned to Mike.

"Thanks for helping me out."

Mike smiled and said: "All in a day's work ma'am!"

"Here, it's not much, but I'm sure you'll put it too good use," Yai said, handing Mike a couple of bills.

--

"I think I understand what that guy had wanted from Mega and Lan," Razor said, pacing around inside his PET.

"Right. Someone's found a way to revive deleted Navis and reuse them."

"You're supposed to say 'Someone found a way to reanalyze data of deleted Navis, and managed to reprogram them in bodies equal height, weight and voices, but managed to give them more strength than they had with World 3/Gospel."

Mike was silent for a while, then said: "You're starting to sound like Laze."

"Who???" Razor asked as he stopped his pacing.

"Nah, just someone I read about on FanFiction.Net," Mike said. "She's a real bitch, but when she wants to be, she can be the nicest girl around. Which isn't often."

"Oh. Never heard of her."

"No matter. But anyway, we need to get some help! Not just Lan's, but of as much people as we can!"

"I know…… Jack me in on the Net, maybe I can find some tough Navis."

"Roger!"

--

After hours of searching, Razor found himself on top of a high building in KotoSquare, feet dangling over the edge as he stared at the magnificent view. He had searched everywhere, but had been unable to find anything. There was one more place he could check, but he wasn't too sure if he should go there. Because he felt like it wasn't worth it.

Razor had bumped into GutsMan and Roll (literally) while running around searching for strong Navis, but had not mentioned anything to them (hadn't even stopped to apologize, just shouted 'sorry' over his shoulder). GutsMan couldn't even last against NumberMan (loser), and Roll wasn't made to be a fighter. 

With a sigh, Razor placed his hands on the side of his head, and allowed the helmet to slide off of his head. His wild ivy-green hair was a little sticky, so he shook his head, placed his helmet beside him, and ran his hands through it. Unless Ray decided to show herself somewhere, they were on their own.

Ray…

Ray and him were pretty close, though they weren't close enough to be in a 'boyfriend-girlfriend' relationship. She wasn't ready for it, and Razor just didn't feel _that_ way about her. They were just friends, and that's how Razor wanted it to stay. Any phases Ray would go through, he'd accept.

Razor might be impatient when it came with games, but around his friends, he could wait as long as they needed for something.

He stared across the city, watching the Navis down below walk about, not even considering the danger that was approaching. One arm was on both knees, and he was leaning on his other hand, jaw on his knuckles. He closed his eyes, and thought back to when he and Mike had first met Shine and Ray.

**__**

*Flashback*

"I could easily beat you with my hands tied behind my back!!" Michael dared the other boy.

"Ha! I'd like to see you use chips then!" Dare retorted with a forced laugh.

The duo was on their way to the arcade, planning to go spend some of their money on games. When they came to the arcade, Dare stopped and just stared. Michael, who had walked ahead, stopped, and walked back, backwards. 

"Hey, you okay?" Michael asked.

"Look over there," Dare said with a nod.

Michael looked over, and instantly noticed a young girl standing there, shoulder-length white hair tied up in a loose bun on her head. She seemed to be horribly out of place, seeing as she kept looking around, her light purple eyes showing a slight twinge of fear. 

"Let's see what's wrong," Dare said, and walked over.

"DARE!!" Michael hissed, but ran after his friend anyway.

"Hey," Dare said, and the girl looked up at him in confusion and fright. "You okay? You look lost."

"I am!" the girl whimpered, bottom-lip trembling. "I lost onnechan somewhere and I can't find her!!"

Michael blinked and asked: "You can't find who??"

"Big sis!!" the girl said. "Well… okay, she's only five seconds older… but…"

"She's still older than you," Dare finished.

"Yeah!"

"Oh! I'm Dare, by the way, and this here is Michael."

"Hi."

"Ugh! Porn! OOF!!"

Dare had elbowed Michael in his gut, with his eyes closed and an exasperated look on his face. He opened his eyes and gave the young girl an apologetic look.

The girl giggled and said: "Is he an oversexed kid or something?"

"Nah, he's just crazy," Dare said.

"I AM **NOT**!!!" Michael shouted, but Dare had already slapped his hand over the boy's mouth.

"Sorry."

"That's okay! I'm Shine."

"Nice to meet you."

"Wikewise," Michael said behind Dare's hand.

Dare finally removed his hand and said: "So, why are you here?"

Shine sighed and said: "Onnechan said that if I ever got lost, I had to find the local arcade and wait there for her. So, here I am!"

"Your sis likes arcade games?" Michael asked.

"No, but it was the only place I could memorize from the back of my head in this place."

Dare and Michael looked at each other with an odd look.

"Hey! I hardly go to the mall okay!? Onnechan comes here all the time!"

"Why?" Dare asked.

"Probably buying stuff about that… that… that game she's always playing. Oh! I can't remember the name!"

"What's it about?" Michael asked.

"Uh… a little guy in blue armor and he can change his hand into a gun," Shine said.

"Mega Man!" Dare said, smiling.

"THAT'S the game!!" Shine said with a broad smile, while pointing at Dare. "Personally, I don't really like the game, though."

"You don't?" Dare asked. "Too bad, they're the best!"

"I agree on that one," an unfamiliar voice said, and the two boys whirled around in surprise.

The gothic girl standing behind them looked like she was seriously pissed off at something, and her ankle-length gray hair was tied back in a tight ponytail, jerking wildly as her head moved. Magenta colored eyes sparked with a strange fury, but Dare could tell it wasn't out of anger. She was about the same height as Dare, but seemed almost twice as adventurous.

"ONNECHAN!!" Shine screamed, and ran forward, hugging the other girl around her waist.

The taller girl looked seriously pissed off at the other child, and pushed her away.

"How many times do I have to tell you!? Don't call me THAT!!" she hissed.

"Oh," Shine said, as if she only just heard. "Okay, onnechan!"

"AAAAARGH!!!" the girl exclaimed, slamming a hand against her face in exasperation. "Shine, you'll never change!"

"Nor will you!!" Shine countered.

The girl snorted, and then looked at Dare and Michael.

"I don't say this often, so be glad. Arigatou for keeping Shine occupied. She's a lot calmer when she's not worrying her head off."

Dare blinked, then saw Shine mouthing the words: "'Arigatou' means 'thanks'."

He gave a silent 'ah', then turned to the other girl.

"_You're_ Shine's sister?" he asked.

"That would be me. Watashi no namae wa Ray desu, and you are?"

Michael looked confused, but Dare managed to understand her.

"I'm Dare, and this is Michael," he said, once again doing the introduction.

"Huh?? Oh, hi there," Michael said, pretending to take a hat off.

Ray rolled her eyes at that, and lightly shook her head, making her hair jerk about. 

"Ch, not like I'll ever use those names, bushhead," she mumbled.

"Well I---huh?!!? Bushhead!?!?" Dare exclaimed, confused.

Ray simply scoffed and said: "I hardly call people by their names, so either stick with that, or I'll simply ignore you."

Dare was confused, because Ray was the complete opposite of Shine, and the duo looked nothing alike. He couldn't judge them by their faces, because Shine kept smiling, and Ray kept frowning. 

Suddenly, Ray whirled around and suckerpunched Michael straight against his shoulder, who had walked over to right beside her, sending him to the ground. Michael winced as he rubbed his shoulder, looking up at Ray, who was looking seriously pissed off. Shine had taken a cautious step back, and gulped quietly.

"Never, touch the hair, _got it_?!?!" Ray hissed between her teeth.

Michael gulped, and nodded. Ray smirked for a millisecond, before straightening up. 

She turned to Dare and said: "I suggest you don't try a stunt like that."

Dare looked at her, his face a blank look, before he smiled.

"Hey! I'm not called 'Dare' for nothing! I live every day like it's my last! It's the only way I can actually _enjoy_ life!!" he said proudly.

Ray raised a curious eyebrow at him as Michael scurried over to hide behind him.

"Prove it," Ray said, but Dare heard the challenge.

She was testing him, and Dare had a feeling this might be the only chance he'd get to befriend her.

"Sure," he answered with a wicked grin.

**__**

*End Flashback*

And how he did! He would never forget the look on Ray's face when he had triggered the fire-alarm, and nearly had them all arrested. She had been baffled by what he had dared, and she's said so once they had managed to escape the guards.

"Kuso!" she had hissed. "You're a freaking daredevil!!"

"Hey, what's with the accent anyway?" Mike had asked.

"Ray went to Japan to study! And she also practiced the Martial Arts there!" Shine had said with a smile.

"Shine shut up!!" Ray had said angrily.

Razor chuckled at the memory. Yep, the first meeting with Ray and Shine had been a real rush for everyone. 

That was when he remembered what had caused him to think of Ray.

"Now what? I mean, it's not like Ray's going to show up anytime soon."

He knew that was true, but why did he feel so funny about it?

--

"Nothing."

"Aw nutbunnies!"

"'Nutbunnies'??"

"I always wanted to say that!"

"……Mike, I'm seriously starting to doubt your sanity."

"Hey! I'm not crazy!! I'm---"

"'Slightly insane', I know I know. I still say you're a nutcase."

"HEY!!!"

"Shut up about it! We're leaving the subject!"

"Oh."

"…………"

"…………"

"We could ask Ch---"

"NO WAY!!! I am most certainly NOT working with HIM!!!"

"Why not??"

"Look, it's bad enough that I might have to fight with Mega's friends, but there is no way in HELL that I'll work with that little bastard!!"

"Okay, okay! Forget I said that!"

"Good."

"Well, do you have any ideas?"

"We _could_ ask Sal, Miyu, and maybe even Masa to help us."

"Would they help us?"

"They helped against World 3, right?"

"Yeah, but they could be out of shape."

"Possible. But we _have_ to try."

--

Mike sat down on the bench with a sigh, staring up at the still bright sky. It was still rather early, but he already felt like he'd spent two days within the past few hours. It was exhausting, I can tell you that.

"I'm beat!"

"_You're_ beat?! _I'm_ doing all the work around here!!"

"Razor!! I'm absolutely not in the mood!!"

"And you think _I _am?! And besides, _you're _ the one who started this mess!!"

"_Me_?!!? Well _you_ certainly aren't doing anything about it!!"

"You want _me_ to clean up _your_ mess!?!?! Like hell I will!!"

"Razor you---"

Mike stopped, and gave a sigh, trying to calm down.

"Would you listen to us?! We're sounding like a bunch of kids!!"

"Yeah……sorry Mike."

"Nah, I should be sorry. Like you said, I started it and all."

"Yeah, but I didn't stop it."

"Okay! Enough with this!! Let's go!! We have to find help! You ready for action, partner?"

"Ten-four, partner."

--

"Tell me again, _what_ are we doing here?" Mike asked as he walked into the Official Center.

"Ray once mentioned that to become an Official NetBattler, you need to have a SSS-License, and for that, you need an S- and SS-License. So we'd be better off starting early, because Ray said she's been busy with that for hours," Razor explained.

"Ah. If Ray had difficulties with that, then, yes, it would be wise."

Mike walked to the computer and jacked in.

"Go for it, Razor."

--

Razor calmly followed the instructor who would guide him to the test-area. Even though he looked calm, it was making him kind of nervous. He remembered what Ray had said. All too well.

--

"I swear! That had been the only part of the game I had serious troubles with!!" 

"Why's that?" 

"Well, for an S-License, you have to win ten battles in a row without healing."

"What's so hard about that? I thought you did that anyway?"

"Usually, yeah. But you try winning ten battles when your enemies move faster, their attacks are more powerful, and they have 50% extra HP."

"You're kidding!!"

"Iie."

--

'I am NOT going to have it easy here!' Razor thought with dismay.

--

Razor raced across the UnderNet, deleting viruses as he went. Most of them were easy to beat, seeing as all monsters were only affected by swords. The battles had taken a lot out of him, and now that he had an S-License, he had tried to get an SS-License, but apparently, you needed ArmyData for that.

After a while, Razor stopped to ponder for a moment. 

'Now where did she say that ArmyData was?'

He closed his eyes, and sought through his mind, trying to find it. His eyes finally opened with a snap, and he smirked.

With a burst of speed, Razor shot off, lashing at viruses and sending them into deletion within only a few seconds. He had no time to toy around with those viruses. 

--

Razor skidded to a screeching halt (literally) and looked at the warp laying ahead of him. Unlike the others, it was a bright red with a purple outlining.

"Yo Mike."

"Yeah."

"I won't be able to jack out in there. Do you have any SneakRuns?"

"I'm sure I do, hang on a sec."

Razor could hear Mike rummage through his folder for awhile while reading aloud.

"Unlocker… Untrap… MiniEnrg… AH!! Here we are!! SneakRun!"

"Good. Once I'm in there, use it!"

Before Mike could object, Razor jumped on the warp. The Net seemed to flash from normal to blood-red and back, over and over, until it sped up and Razor felt like he was being torn apart. He wanted to scream, but his throat was plugged. His hair flew upward as the pain lasted for what seemed like hours, until finally… he was warped away.

--

"WHOA!! OUCH!!!" Razor yelped and tumbled out of the warp in a heap.

He shook his head and put a hand to his forehead, groaning as his body ached. Someone _definitely_ had to check that warp! 

"Fuck!!" Razor shouted in anger as he got up, rubbing his head as he had a feeling he was getting a lump. "Of all the idiotic---!!"

__

Whoosh!!

"Huh?!?! What the?!"

Razor whirled around, forgetting the pain he was feeling. Something was there. And he had a feeling it wasn't a virus. The atmosphere was too cold to be that of a virus, even for an ice-virus. Chills and shivers ran up and down Razor's spine as he pulled out his blades and guns while slowly looking around.

"Who's there!?! Show yourself!!!" he screamed, but like he expected, he got no response. 

"Razor!!" Mike's voice called out from afar, sounding awfully distorted. "What's going on?! My PET suddenly feels like… I don't know! Like it's being filled with hatred and anger!!"

"Hatred and anger…" Razor repeated softly, and suddenly, he understood. "Oh SHIT!!!"

Razor didn't waste any more time and began to run, not at all feeling like taking _him_ on.

--

A pair of blood red eyes slowly opened, and he watched the Navi run away. He sensed the Navi's strength easily, and he knew he would make a fine adversary. But the Navi seemed to be in a hurry, so he didn't even bother to give chase. 

'Some other time…' the dark figure thought, and smirked wickedly, before whooshing his poncho and vanishing out of sight.

-- 

****

Like I said, sorry for the holdup. Anyway, if there are any yaoi-lovers out there, I suggest you try 'After The Storm'. My own characters make an appearance in that one! ^_^


	6. Chapter II Part 3: The Help

------------------------------------ ****

YugiKitty and MalikKitsune: Good question.

ri2: It can easily reach her ankles when it's loose. When it's tied back, it get just above her ankles. 

maverickzero: Whoa! Thanks for the suggestion!! ^_^

Song: See? That's what I'm talking about! Uh… I don't know, is it?? Oh! I thought it was a cloak or something. Oh well, you learn something everyday. :)

Youkai Ryuu: _That_ is going to be a surprise, for now.

Chibiki: You might have figured this out on your own, but I won't spill anything. [PS: About that previous review you gave me, you're not the only one who needs help! @_@]

Hellspawn: Aha, so that's where it's from. Oh! If you want yaoi, go read _After The Storm_. It's a sequel to this story.

------------------------------------

I forgot something by the way!!

Chaud: 16

Lan: 15

Jinn: 16

MegaMan: 15

Mike: 15

Muramasa: 14

ProtoMan: 16

Ragnarok: 16

Razor: 15

Shine: 14

****

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter II Part 3: The Help

"That guy was strange."

"I didn't really notice anything about him."

"It was hard to notice… but I just had a funny feeling about him."

"Well, he did have a cool Navi."

"Yeah. We should challenge him to a NetBattle once in awhile."

--

Lan got off the bus, and looked up at the hotel. It wasn't high, but it was still very nice. As he looked around, he noticed there were a lot of people standing around near the entrance.

"Oh, crud," Mega mumbled. "This isn't going to be easy."

"Tell me about it," Lan said solemnly, and started walking around.

Lan looked around, trying to find someone who might be the one who posted the request, but he saw no one of the kind. So, Lan started to walk around, trying to identify the person whom he was supposed to meet. That was not an easy task. 

After some time, Lan sat down on the edge of the fountain they had there. The fountain was huge, and quite nice. Also, water-droplets sometimes landed on the surrounding people, cooling them down a little. 

"Lan, we have to keep looking," Mega said calmly.

Lan was about to respond, when he suddenly heard something.

"Ragna, did you _have_ to wake me? I'm tired as hell!!" a boy's voice said.

"Hey! You can't have that kid waiting, right?! I mean, who knows how fast he can be here?" a slightly digital voice said, obviously the boy's Navi.

"Whatever," the boy said through a yawn.

Lan blinked and walked around the fountain, until he came across a boy, seeming to wait for somebody. Lan had the faintest idea that he was the one who posted the request. He cleared his throat, causing the boy to look up.

"Yeah?" the boy asked.

"Did… you post a request about some incident in Den City?" Lan asked cautiously.

The boy smiled brightly and stood up.

"That'd be me. I'm Jinn, and you must be Lan, right?" the boy asked.

"Yeah, that's my name. And this is MegaMan," Lan said, pulling out his PET.

"Hi there!" Mega said with a smile.

"Pleasure," Jinn said, and pulled out his own PET. "This here is Ragnarok."

"Everyone calls me 'Ragna' though," the tall Navi said.

After some introduction, the duo sat down on the fountain's edge.

--

"So, what seems to be the problem?" Lan asked calmly.

Jinn began to explain.

"Well, here's what happened. Ragna and myself arrived in Den City and were just checking out some shops here and there, and we stumbled across this fancy antique-store. The lady running it was a fortuneteller of some sorts, seeing as she read my palm and stuff."

"Hey! That's Miyu!!" Mega suddenly said, interrupting Jinn's explanation.

Ragna blinked and asked: "She's a friend of yours??"

"Yeah, but go on," Lan said.

"Thanks," Jinn said with a smile. "Anyway, I suddenly noticed an arena behind her giving off a rather powerful discharge for something that size, so I pulled Miss Miyu away from it, just before it exploded."

"How did that happen??" Mega asked.

"Not sure, but anyway. The store caught fire, and we managed to get to the entrance, only to have it blocked."

Ragna continued then.

"The fire-extinguishers weren't functioning, so I was jacked in onto the Net of the store. The place was littered with viruses, but I managed to ward them off. Until ElecMan showed up."

"ElecMan?!?!" Mega and Lan exclaimed at the same time, shocked out of their wits.

"I heard that he'd been a Navi from World 3, so I thought it'd be wise if I told you two," Jinn said, looking at Lan with a look that said he was dead serious.

Silence reigned for a while, until Lan turned to Jinn.

"If someone is up to World 3's old tricks, we'll need all the help we can get. Can we count on you?" he asked, extending his hand to Jinn.

Jinn smiled and took it without hesitation.

"Sure thing. I'm not going to let _anyone_ mess with this world while I'm around," he said.

"My thoughts exactly," Ragna said.

Mega smiled and extended his hand to the taller Navi. Ragna smiled back and shook the smaller Navi's hand.

"Hey! We should inform Chaud about this! I hate to admit it, but he might be able to help!" Lan suddenly said.

"Chaud?? Who's that?" Jinn asked, though inside his head, he made a groan of denial.

"I'll explain later. Let's just give him a call."

Mega nodded and easily dialed the number to Chaud's PET. It rang a few times, but there was no answer.

"That's funny," Mega said once he hung up.

"I know," Lan said. "Chaud always picks up the phone, no matter who's calling."

Jinn shrugged and said: "He's probably busy with other things."

Lan nodded, though a little unsure. Because he had a feeling it had probably had something to do with Shine. Jinn noticed Lan's slight change though, and it made him think for a moment.

'What's up with him all of the sudden? Why does he look like some sort of jealous kid?' he thought, before it dawned to him. 'Oh.'

"Hey Lan! You alright there?? You suddenly spaced out!!" Ragna suddenly said, shaking Lan from his 'trance'.

"Oh… sorry."

"No big deal," Jinn said, smiling. "You in for ice-cream? My treat."

"Am I?! Let's go!!!"

--

"I'm bored!" Ragna mumbled, sitting down on the floor.

He and Mega had been jacked in on the Net of the hotel, so they could wander about for a while. Problem was, there wasn't really much to do in the boring place. 

"Hey, Ragna?" Mega asked after a moment of silence.

"Hmm?" Ragna responded calmly. 

"Do you always fight with that lance of yours?"

"Not really. I have a Buster as well," Ragna said, and shifted his right hand into a Buster, "but I prefer my lance above my Buster. Any weapons you prefer?"

"Just my Buster I guess," Mega said with a shrug. "But swords can be convenient too."

"True. But it completely depends on the viruses you're facing at the moment."

"Can't argue with that. If you can't get near your enemy, then it'd be easy to have a Buster in handy."

"Yeah, but if you could be in the advantage by becoming the opposing element, _then_ we would have no problem."

Mega smirked and said: "Is that all?"

Ragna looked up in confusion. At least, that's what showed. Ragna knew that Mega could use Style-Change whenever he wanted.

"Sorry?" he said.

Mega easily activated the Style-Change, and Ragna watched as streams of different data surrounded the Blue Bomber. When the glow that was radiating from Mega became too much, Ragna quickly covered his eyes with his arms, still holding his lance in one hand. 

Once the glow stopped, Ragna looked through his arms, and gasped.

"So? What do you think?" Mega said, hands on his hips.

His armor had changed from azure blue to a darker shade of blue, with much lighter lines across his entire body, safe for his hands and feet. His Navi-Symbol had changed from fiery red, to a deep blue, and his helmet, gloves and boots were flickering with lights here and there. 

Ragna whistled.

"Not bad. How'd you learn to do that?"

"Oh, Lan's dad used Chng.BAT on me. Every couple of battles I get a new 'Style', as Lan and I like to call them."

"Whoa. He must be mighty clever then," Ragna said, though he knew all of this already.

"Well, Lan's dad _is_ the creator of NetNavis, and Lan's grandfather was the designer of the PETs."

"Looks like it runs in the family then."

"You could say that yeah."

"So, which is your favorite Style?"

Mega thought for a moment, then smiled and declared: "SaitoStyle!"

Ragna blinked as a look of shock and confusion came over his face.

"Sai… to??" Ragna asked, pretending not to understand the smaller Navi.

"I'd rather not show you. I lost part of my memory when I battled a different Navi who was about the same strength. I'd rather not risk going through that again."

Ragna nodded and said while standing up: "I won't make you do something you dislike, but could you explain me what SaitoStyle means?"

Mega nodded and reverted back to his normal self.

"SaitoStyle actually means I _fully_ synchronize with Lan, increasing my abilities on the battlefield. All damage I receive in battle, Lan will also receive, sadly enough."

"Owchie," Ragna said. "I can understand that it must be your best Style, but I don't understand why it's your favorite."

Mega paused for awhile, before taking off his helmet, shaking his auburn colored hair from his face.

"Who do I look like?" Mega asked without answering.

Ragna blinked, and bent down to study Mega's face, one hand still clutching his lance. 

"Uh… like Lan, I suppose. Safe for your eyes though," Ragna said, straightening up. "Why do you ask?"

Mega bit the inside of his cheek and hung his head.

"Because he's my brother."

Ragna didn't respond for quite some time, looking shocked like hell, while in truth, that had been something he already knew. He was about to open his mouth, when he suddenly felt something oddly familiar.

"Mail," Ragna mumbled and opened up a screen in front of him.

Mega blinked and said: "Yeah, me too," as he too opened a screen before him.

Ragna read the email, and gasped.

"Jesus!!!" he exclaimed.

--

"Whoa Lan! Slow down! The Oreo's are all over your face!!" Jinn said, smiling at the younger boy.

"Sorry," Lan said and rubbed over his face with his sleeve.

This only resulted into making it worse.

"Lan! It's getting worse!" Jinn laughed, and started helping Lan a little. "There!"

Lan smiled in thanks, then asked: "Hey Jinn. How old are you anyway?"

"I'm 16," Jinn answered, calmly eating his own ice-cream.

"Wha?? But you're my height and I'm 15!"

"Yeah well, I'm short for my age! Okay?! Always have been!"

"Whoa! Sorry! I didn't know that---"

Suddenly their PETs started bleeping, so they stopped talking and pulled them out.

"Ragna? What's wrong?"

"What's the matter, Mega?"

"See for yourself," the Navis said at the same time, and opened up the message both of them had received.

--

__

About an hour ago, a set of houses in Den City had mysteriously caught fire and had nearly burned to the ground. Luckily, the fires were extinguished before that could've been done. A few people have been severely injured, but none have died. One of the victims said that "the microwave suddenly spat out flames and nearly burned down the house."

--

Lan was so shocked, he dropped what was left of his ice-cream, and Jinn could just stare at the email. 

"Oh crud!" Lan said in anger once the shock had faded. 

"While we were chatting away, those guys were at it again!!" Jinn hissed angrily.

Lan turned to Jinn and said: "We have to do something about this! Right now!!"

Jinn looked at Lan, blinking, then asked: "And _what_ are we going to do about this?"

Lan was about to respond, but he shut up when he knew he had no idea.

"We could… do what we always do?" Mega offered, making Ragna look at him oddly.

"What's that??" he asked.

Lan smiled however.

"Right! Off to dad!!"

--

"Your dad lives in Marine Harbor?" Jinn asked once they got out of the metro.

"No, he just works here," Lan answered.

"Oh."

The duo walked into the Official Center and stopped dead. The place was overcrowded with people for some reason, everyone running around for one reason or another. 

"What's going on??" Jinn asked.

"No idea. But come on!!" Lan said, pulling his new friend through the crowd.

Surprisingly fast, they made it to the elevator. So, they got in and headed up.

--

Yuuichiro gave a sigh as he scanned the Net. Things weren't looking too good, with all those Navis revived and all. He kept on wondering how someone could've done that though, seeing as it was close to impossible to retrace data of deleted Navis.

And what was worse, was that this could go on forever.

"Dad!!!" a voice suddenly shouted.

Yuuichiro looked up in shock, and noticed Lan run into his office, along with one of his friends. This boy wasn't a familiar face though.

"Lan! What are you doing here?!" Yuuichiro asked, getting up from his seat.

Lan took a few moments to catch his breath first, then said: "We've got a problem."

Yuuichiro looked confused, until Lan continued.

"Someone's reusing the data of deleted Navis and causing havoc across the Net!"

"W-what?! Lan! How did you---" Yuuchiro started.

"Jinn here!!" Lan said, pulling his new friend forward.

The boy stumbled for a moment then straightened up. 

"Jinn and his Navi have warded off ElecMan! And they found it wise to tell us about it."

Jinn looked at Lan a little worriedly, not at all too sure of what to say. I mean, what do you say when it's said you warded off an enemy that was supposed to be dead (or in this case, deleted)? 

--

What Lan and Jinn didn't know, was that while they were talking, somewhere deep in the UnderNet, in a no-jack-out zone, a scheme was being hatched. A solitary figure stood in the UnderNet, staring across the empty Net, void of Navis, viruses, and even programs. 

The figure could not be called a Navi, due to its slightly blurry appearance, which wasn't something you usually saw with Navis. It couldn't be registered as a virus or a program either, for its data was far too complex.

But if it wasn't a Navi, virus, or program……………………

Then what was it??

--

"Talk about high-tech," Jinn said, looking at the PC in awe.

"Dad, how did you know??" Lan asked as his father typed in several commands.

"We ran into a few 'deleted' Navis here at the Center as well," Yuuichiro said. "It was a close call, but we managed to ward them off."

Jinn sighed and said: "Thank goodness for that. Because I suspect that that would've caused a lot of trouble."

A sudden blipping drew Jinn's attention from Lan and Yuuichiro, who were talking about how the Navis could've been revived. Jinn walked over to a computer, and noticed something unusual. The screen was projecting a part of the UnderNet, but there were no Navis, no viruses or anything. 

Safe for that odd figure standing almost directly in the center.

Jinn looked at it for a long time, leaning on the desk in front of it to get a better look. But just as Jinn started to squint--

It vanished.

"What the!?" Jinn whispered, shocked.

--

It was late at night when Jinn and Ragna finally returned to their hotel room. Jinn was remarkably quiet though.

"Jinn? You alright?" Ragna asked.

"I'm fine, Ragna, just thinking."

"About what?"

"That… whatever it was…"

"Oh. Do you have any idea what it might've been?"

"The computer said that the data of whatever it was was unfamiliar."

"Huh? But if it wasn't a Navi or a virus… then what in blazes was it??"

"I don't know, but for some reason, I think it has something to do with those revived Navis."

"Gosh. If only Raye were here. She could've helped out here."

"Yeah…" Jinn said, sitting down on the bed. "That girl always managed to figure everything out."

**__**

*Flashback*

"Say what??" Paul asked the younger girl.

"Wily's King's creator. I can tell by the guy's design," Raye said with a neutral look. "And besides, who else could've made him?"

"Well… Duo didn't have a creator," Nick said.

Raye gave a sigh and said: "He does have one! It's just that we never met him."

"Well, I still say it isn't Wily!" Paul said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Wanna bet?" Raye mocked with a smirk.

Raye continued to fight her way through King's castle, until she finally had to face King. The battle began, but by the looks of it, King didn't feel like getting away from his shield.

After awhile though…

"Proto!!" the trio exclaimed when they heard the all familiar whistle.

Indeed, it was Proto Man, looking the same as ever. After some talking, Proto blasted King's shield to shreds, and some time later, the battle continued.

After Raye won, Bass (seeing as Raye was playing as Bass) asked King: "Who is your father? Who created you?"

King responded with: "What if I told you it was Dr. Wily?"

Nick and Paul instantly looked at each other in shock, and then at Raye who was looking quite satisfied with herself.

"I hate to say I told ya so, but," she said, smiling, "I told ya so."

**__**

*End Flashback*

"Man! I swear! That girl knows everything _before_ it happens!" Ragna mumbled.

"She's not Miyu!" Jinn said, holding his PET in his hand.

"Maybe not, but she makes it look that way."

"Probably, but anyway, we should get some rest."

"Agree."

"Night."

"G'night."

--

During the night, both Operator and Navi dreamt. But not of what they usually dreamt.

This was… darker, than anything they ever dreamt in their whole lives.

**__**

*Ragna's dream*

"What the-KGGGG!!-around here?!!?"

"KGGGG!!-is THAT?!!?"

"Ragna!! Ragna!! Come in!!"

"This isn't good! We have to evacuate!! Now!!"

"Nani?!! We can't go now!! We're almost there!!"

"Is this more important than your life!! C'mon!! We have to go!!"

"ACK!! Hora!! You're pulling my arm from its socket already!!!"

"Look out!!!"

"KYAAAA!!!"

"Shit!!"

"What in the world!?"

"Ragna!! Wha-KGGGG!!!-ppend?!"

"Jinn!! Speak up!! I can't hear you!!"

"RAGNA, BEHIND YOU!! LOOK OUT!!!"

"Wha-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

****

*Jinn's dream*

"When I get my hands on those overgrown motherfuckers!!!"

"Those bastards are going to pay for what they did!!"

"It's just down the hall!! C'mon!!"

"Ugh!! The aura around here is stronger than it was outside!!"

"Ack! I know what you mean! But we can't stop!!!"

"We should wait for---"

"No time stupid!! C'mon!!!"

"Whoa!!!"

"Oh crud!! It's passcode protected!!"

"Now what?!"

"Just crack the code."

"Huh!?! How the hell did you---"

"I believe we don't have the time for that. If you mind stepping aside."

"You better know what you're doing!"

"I am."

Click click click click click bling!

"Passcode's been cracked, Sir!"

"Good. Then we're off."

"Where're the others?"

"They're underway."

"How can you stay so calm, damnit!! She could be in danger for all we know!!"

"Hmph."

"Ugh! Typical!! Well, if you don't care about her, then you should leave! Good bye!!!"

"?!?! Hey!! Wait up!!"

"………Might as well go with you."

"Damn!!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"

"?!?!?!"

"That's her!!! Oh crud, if something's happened to her!!"

"Wait!"

"Huh?"

"There's a good chance the place's trapped. …… I smell a rat."

"Well I don't!! And I---"

"What on earth is THAT?!!?"

"Huh?!?!"

"Oh SHIT!!"

"FUCK!!!"

****

*End dreams*

Jinn shot up in bed, sweating like crazy, breathing irregular. 

'What was that??' he wondered, and looked out the window.

It was still dark out. Jinn grabbed his digital alarmclock and checked the time. The time read 3:05 AM, so he had been sleeping for about five hours. With a sigh, Jinn replaced the alarmclock and slumped down on the bed. 

The dream was still fresh in his mind, and that girl screaming… why had she sounded so familiar?

No names had been mentioned… so he must've known them pretty well.

Did he?

Jinn gave a frustrated cry of anger, grasping his aching head with both hands, digging his nails in his scalp. 

"Is there anything on this world that makes any goddamn sense?!!?" he asked the empty room, not expecting to be answered.

"If everything made sense, the world would be a rather dull place to live," Ragna's tired voice said.

Jinn blinked in confusion, and swung his legs out of bed while sitting up, before walking to the desk where he'd left his PET. He picked up the PET and looked at the tired-looking Ragna, who was rubbing the sleep from his eyes, but it was clear he'd been up much longer than Jinn. 

"How long have you been awake?" Jinn asked, walking back to the bed.

"For 'bout yawn an hour."

"Why didn't you go ta sleep?"

The boys were both so tired, that their usual excited voices were dull and almost empty. None of them bothered. 

"I tried. Multiple times. Raye's wearing off on me. Once that lass's awake, it's impossible for her to go back to sleep."

"Reason you couldn't sleep?"

"Bad dream. You?"

Jinn gave a yawn, covering it with his hand, and said: "Same."

Jinn dropped back on the bed, holding up his PET, so he could still look at Ragna through his half-lidded eyes. Dark rings were starting to form with both already, but it didn't bother them. 

"Wha was yours about?" Jinn asked.

"I was on the Net with two other Navis… couldn't make out anything though, but we were somewhere where we couldn't jack out or something…"

"Then wha?"

"We got attacked. Tha's 'bout when I woke up."

"Ah… Well, I was stuck in some kind of building with a few others trying to save somebody… And then we suddenly got attacked by… somethin'…"

Silence reigned for awhile, before Jinn's arm gave up and dropped beside him on the bed.

"Ugh… I'm gonna try to get back to sleep…" he mumbled, and closed his eyes.

"Yeah… me too…" Ragna said through a yawn, and laid down on the bed he had in the PET.

In no time, the duo was sound-asleep.

--

Somewhere on the Net, sat that same dark figure, staring at nothing in particular. Its eyes were hollow and empty, a pure white, but with a really, really light red line where its eyeballs met the skin of its eyelids. Slowly, it stood up as it felt something.

A presence… and a strong one at that…

With the agility of a cat, it jumped from rock to rock, eager to find this new source of power.

Some time later, it stopped dead, hidden in the shadows. Its eyes were wider than usual, before it shook its head with clenched-shut eyes, and rubbed its eyes forcefully, before looking again.

A violent grin passed over its features.

'Beautiful…' it thought, staring at the figure below him, hands on the hips, looking around for anything suspicious no doubt. 'Beautiful _and_ strong…'

If possible, the grin got even wider.

'I like that in a slave…'

-- 

****

If you know who Jinn and Ragna were dreaming off, get yourself a cookie. If you know who the Dark Figure was watching, get another cookie. o_0 Did I just say that?? DAMN!!


	7. Chapter III Part 1: Bushhead & Nickyboy

****

Whoa… I've had a major hangover because of a certain somebody but I'm still not over it… I'm not going to mention any names, but the person I'm talking about knows what I'm talking about. AAAGH!! [clutches aching head] Holy crap!! Yep. Too much Wily Beer. Oh crud. [grabs a hold of protesting stomach] Excuse me. [runs off toward the bathroom]

------------------------------------

TJ and Rikumon: [laughs]

Youkai Ryuu: Who knows? Besides myself of course.

Chibiki-Wuz-Here: Well, what else am I supposed to do during the vacation? Got nothing else to do.

Song: No thanks.

maverickzero: Okay!

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter III Part 1: Bushhead & Nicky-boy

"You were awake last night?!!?"

"Just answer the question!! Did you or did you not kiss Chaud?!"

"Why were you even awake last night?!"

"With all that racket you two were making, it wasn't strange. Now SPIT IT OUT!!!"

"No!!!"

--

Muramasa rolled her eyes, twirling a loose strand of hair with her finger. She looked like she didn't believe what Shine had just said. 

"Then tell me what you _did_ do!" she said, anger starting to seep into her voice.

Shine gave a sigh and said: "Okay, if it'll stop your whining."

"I DON'T WHINE!!!!" Muramasa nearly screamed.

**__**

*Flashback*

So they started an all-out pillow-fight, laughing as they got each other quite a couple of times. And it lasted for quite a while, until Chaud managed to 'unarm' Shine, and had her pinned down to her own mattress.

"Hey!!!" Shine exclaimed. "Let me go you jerk!!!!"

"No," Chaud said with a smirk. "Only if you say you're sorry."

Shine gasped, then frowned and said: "No way!! Now get off or else!!"

"Or else what?" Chaud challenged.

Shine thought fast for a moment, then smirked, much like her sister would.

"Or else, this!!" she said, and cocked her head up with lightning fast speed, their foreheads colliding with a violent thud.

Chaud instantly jumped back, shocked out of his wits, and his forehead burning like crazy. Shine sat up, smiling wickedly, which hid her expression of pain easily.

**__**

*End Flashback*

"And that's it?" Muramasa asked skeptically.

"Hai, that's it!" Shine said softly.

"Souda," Muramasa said, though her tone indicated she didn't believe it.

Shine was about to retort, when Chaud tapped her on her shoulder. The younger whitehead tipped her head back to look at Chaud. This resulted into making her see Chaud upside-down.

"Come on, we're here," Chaud said calmly, and headed for the exit.

Shine blinked and asked: "Already?" before getting up and following Chaud out of the metro.

--

Chaud and Shine entered Chaud's house, and Shine was left awestruck.

"Wow! This place is huge!!" she complimented, looking around in admiration. "You live here with just your parents?" she asked the other whitehead.

Chaud paused in taking off his jacket, then said: "Just my dad. But he's hardly around."

Shine chewed on her bottom lip.

"Your parents are divorced?"

The second the sentence left her mouth, she regretted it. Living with her sister for so long, had enabled her to read everyone like an open book, and she instantly took note of Chaud as his eyes lost a little of their sharpness. 

'Oops.'

Chaud gave a sigh and hung his jacket up.

"My mother died a few weeks after I was born."

"Oh… gomen…" Shine mumbled.

"What??" Chaud asked, confused.

"Oh, that means 'sorry'," Shine explained. "Muramasa taught me bits and bites of different languages. And she---"

"Shine!! Uruse!!!" Muramasa's angry voice suddenly screamed out.

Shine instantly shut up and looked at Chaud.

"Three guesses what that meant," she said.

"'Shut up'??" Chaud offered.

--

"Smartass," Muramasa mumbled.

"Hey! Uruse already!!" Proto said angrily.

Muramasa whirled around toward the red armored Navi, looking rather pissed off.

"Same to you, bakayoro!!" Muramasa hissed.

"And what's that supposed to mean!?!" Proto screamed.

"Read my lips!!! SHUT!!! UP!!!!"

"Why you little!!"

Without a warning, Proto had run straight into Muramasa, sending her back quite some distance and making her land on the ground with a rather loud thud. You could probably imagine that Muramasa wasn't all too happy about that.

She jumped up almost instantly, and growled angrily at Proto.

"Ooooooh! You did NOT just do that!!" she hissed angrily.

"So what if I did!?" Proto screamed and ran at the still crouching Navi, fist pulled back to punch.

Muramasa screamed in anger and shot at the red-armored Navi as well. Fists connected with a large electric discharge, but neither stopped nor seemed to notice it. Proto suddenly twisted his hand to grab Muramasa's wrist, pulled her forward, and then delivered an uppercut to her jaw, which would've sent her away if Proto hadn't held onto her wrist.

Proto then kicked her square in her guts, knocking the breath out of her. With a strong roundhouse kick, Muramasa was sent away. The female-Navi rolled over a couple of time, before landing on her uninjured side. Proto snorted and turned around to walk away, when something suddenly slammed into his back.

He whirled around, only to get smacked in his face by Muramasa's tail, sending him to the ground. Muramasa was glaring daggers at the other Navi.

"I'M NOT THROUGH WITH YOU YET!!!!" she screamed, and morphed her right hand into a Buster.

Proto could just dodge the blast hurled his way, and activated his sword, racing at the girl with a scream. Muramasa screamed as well and ran at him, firing bursts of plasma as she went. Proto sent energy-waves at her, making the bolts of plasma explode on impact, before continuing on to the main goal. Muramasa however, simply jumped and flipped over them, before landing back on the ground. 

With a loud whine she charged and was about to fire---

"MURAMASA/PROTOMAN!!!!! STOP IT ALREADY!!!" Chaud and Shine screamed at the same time.

Muramasa sent the burst of plasma in a different direction and Proto quickly retracted his sword. Both Navis hid their hands behind their back.

"But he/she started it!!" they said at the same time, pointing at each other.

"I don't care who started it, I'll finish it!!" Chaud said angrily.

The two Navis glared at each other, though you couldn't really tell with Proto.

Muramasa angrily mouthed the words: "One of these days I'll _permanently_ delete you!"

Proto's glare deepened and he mouthed: "Not if I delete you first!"

--

"I get the feeling Proto and Muramasa can't stand each other," Shine said, sitting in a chair in the livingroom, drinking soda through a straw.

"What gave you that idea?" Chaud said with a restrained chuckle.

Shine smiled and shrugged, saying: "I dunno. Just a feeling I guess."

Chaud chuckled and sipped his coffee. 

"How do you keep doing that?" he finally asked.

"Huh?? Do what??" Shine asked.

"Cheer people up."

"Oh!" Shine said, placing her empty cup on the table and leaning back in the chair. "I don't know. Everyone says it's some sort of gift, 'cause I somehow keep doing it without even trying. WHOA!!!"

Shine gave a yelp in surprise as she almost tumbled over, before managing to sit upright with the chair again. Chaud laughed at the spectacle, and Shine joined mighty quickly.

"See? I didn't even try!"

--

Muramasa took a careful sip from her Energy drink, not even looking at the other Navi in the room. She was sitting on the sink, not even bothering to take a chair. She was holding the cup in both hands, and drank from the cup with her eyes closed. When she opened them again, she was staring at the wall, not even speaking a word to the other Navi.

Proto didn't even bother. He just drank from his own cup. Proto was leaning against the wall, as far away from Muramasa as possible. He was not in the mood to handle another battle with the female-Navi. He already had a bruise forming on his face from where her tail had smacked him. It burned, but he didn't bother.

A sudden chuckle made him look up, and he noticed Muramasa chuckling about something, her eyes closed.

"What's so funny?" he demanded.

Muramasa shook her head and said: "Nothing. Just thinking about my first meeting with a friend."

Proto blinked behind his shades and asked: "And the fun of that is?"

"Well, he nearly got us both deleted and our Operators arrested, if we hadn't managed to escape. Kuso… that guy's a freaking daredevil!" Muramasa mumbled staring at the ceiling. 

Proto looked curious and asked: "What'd he do?"

Muramasa chuckled and said: "He activated the firealarm. In the mall."

Proto couldn't stop the chuckle that came from his mouth. Muramasa also chuckled and shook her head.

"Your boyfriend sounds like a nice guy," Proto said, making Muramasa choke on her drink.

"N-n-n-nani!?!? He's NOT my boyfriend!! Get it?!" Muramasa said, a tinge of anger in her voice.

"Whoa! Excuse me!" Proto said, holding up his hands in defense.

"Whatever," Muramasa said, wiping the Energy from her face. "Next time, don't say such things when I'm drinking or the energy'll come out through my nose."

Proto chuckled at that, but Muramasa didn't bother. She was about to retort, when she heard something.

"Nani??" she mumbled softly, trying to figure out what she had heard.

"What's wrong?" Proto asked.

"I don't know. But something's amiss. I can tell," she said, looking around carefully.

--

Shine sniffed the air as something strange entered her nostrils. She quickly identified it though.

"Chaud?" she asked, making the boy look up. "Do you smell gas?"

Chaud blinked and sniffed at the air as well.

"Yeah… but how…"

Before Chaud could even finish, the gas that had been circling them for a rather long while suddenly caught flame. Both kids screamed in surprise, instantly backing away from the flames. 

"The hell?!! What's going on?!?!" Chaud managed to get out between coughs. 

Shine wasn't even able to speak through her violent coughs.

--

"Shimatta!!!" Murmasa cursed in anger.

"I smell a virus!!" Proto hissed.

"Then let's fix it already!!"

"Agreed!! Follow me!!"

"Right behind ya!"

--

The second the two Navis arrived at the source of the problem, they were instantly greeted by quite a few agitated fire-viruses and whatnot. Proto used his BusterSword to delete them, while Muramasa settled for her Buster. 

"Who got these viruses here anyway?!" Muramasa demanded in anger.

"Well, whoever did this is going to pay!!" Proto hissed.

The two Navis continued to delete viruses as they tried to find the ventilation programs to get rid of the gas.

Proto suddenly stopped as he noticed Muramasa simply watch a very difficult virus. She didn't move, simply followed it with her eyes as it zoomed from one spot to another. Her mouth was moving and mouthing numbers by the looks of it.

Finally, she charged and when the virus vanished, she fired, but not at the spot he had been. She shot at the place he appeared! And the shot deleted him within a second.

"What'd you just do?!" Proto demanded.

Muramasa looked at him and said: "Figuring out the guy's pattern. Every virus has a certain pattern when it comes to moving or attacking, so I study that to catch them by surprise."

Proto whistled and said: "Nice."

"Thanks," Muramasa said just before---

"KYYYYYYAAAA!!" she screamed when a large bolt of plasma hit her square to her head, sending her to the ground, unconscious.

"What the?!?!" Proto shouted and looked at the source of the shot.

He stood face-to-face with AirMan and FireMan.

--

Chaud quickly grabbed the fire-extinguisher and managed to douse some of the fire, enough so that he could reach the younger girl.

"Shine!!" he exclaimed in shock as he ran toward the girl lying on the ground.

After checking her pulse, he was glad to find that she had just lost consciousness. But the only downside was that her breathing was getting shallow. He had to get her outside, and fast!!

"Sir!!! We've got trouble!!" Proto's voice suddenly called out from his PET.

Chaud pulled out his PET as he clumsily picked up the younger whitehead.

"Tell me something I don't know!!" he said, a little pissed off as he stood up with Shine slung over his shoulder.

"Well uh… I'm facing AirMan and FireMan at the moment, Sir," Proto said. 

"Say WHAT?!?!"

"And Muramasa's been knocked out, so I'm on my own."

"Oh crud!! How can this get any worse?"

Everybody knows that you should _never_ say something even _remotely_ like that when you're facing a rather dangerous situation. But apparently, that seemed to have slipped Chaud's mind.

"Oh Christ!!" Chaud exclaimed and jumped back to avoid a falling beam. "I wish I hadn't said that!"

--

Proto lashed out at FireMan, but the fire Navi dodged the blow easily.

"Dangit!!" Proto cursed, right before getting blown aside by AirMan.

He shook his head, and looked up. It was almost impossible to see Proto's eyes widen, as the large blast of fire was thrown his way. He tried to get up, only to find himself magnetized to the ground.

"Well shit!" Proto hissed as he watched the blast heading his way.

"PROTOMAN!!! GET DOWN!!!" a voice from behind him suddenly screamed.

Without questioning the voice, he quickly ducked, just before a large bolt of plasma soared over him and crashed straight into the boll of fire. Before Proto could stand up, seeing as he was now demagnetized, Muramasa shot past him, both hands now shifted into Busters and charging like crazy.

"SURPRISE MOTHERFUCKERS!!!" Muramasa screamed as she released her charged blasts.

--

Shine coughed rather harshly, so hard that it actually hurt, as she sat outside with Chaud and a few firemen, who had managed to get the fire under control. Chaud was talking to both Proto and Muramasa, asking about the battle.

"So they got away?" Chaud asked.

"Sadly enough, yes, Sir," Proto said.

"Weren't those bakas supposed to be deleted by the way?" Muramasa asked, hands on her hips.

"Uh… bakas??" Chaud repeated.

"Tha-cough-means 'idi-cough-ots," Shine managed to say.

"Shine! You shouldn't even try to talk!!" Muramasa said.

Shine nodded, and didn't say anything more.

"Oh! Chaud, Sir!" Proto said, suddenly said. "Someone tried to reach you."

"Who?" Chaud asked. 

"Not sure," Proto said.

Muramasa didn't say anything for awhile. She was a little lost in thought.

'Something's going on around here. Kami-sama… I wish bushhead were here!!'

--

"Hora! Shine! I'm going to explore the Net for awhile! Okay?" Muramasa said.

It had been around a week since Shine and Chaud had escaped from Chaud's house, when it had almost burned down, and the event hadn't been forgotten yet. Still, they all tried not to think about it too much. 

"Okay. Don't make it too late!"

"Like I ever do that!!" Muramasa mumbled.

"Well, the night of the accident you weren't back 'til 5 in the morning!" Shine said.

Muramasa didn't answer. That night still bothered her. She had had the feeling like she'd been watched, but no one had been around. Or so she thought.

"Whatever. Itte kimasu!!" she said, and ran off.

"Itte rasshai!!" Shine called after her Navi.

Muramasa groaned as she left Chaud's server, and began to run across the Net, not feeling like going to any of the Squares. She kept on running, until she stopped for a moment. She gave a sigh and looked around. 

She had wound up where she'd been the night after the accident.

'How the hell'd I get back here?' she wondered, but before she could ponder it any further---

__

BANG!!!

"WHOA!!"

"AAAH!!"

Someone crashed straight into her back, sending them both to the ground. As the person atop her tried to get off, he accidentally leaned on her hair, so when he slipped, he yanked at her hair, and quite hard.

Muramasa could just stop herself from screaming, but was enraged. NO ONE touched HER hair!!!

She whirled around and elbowed the other Navi to his jaw, sending him off and away from her. She then jumped up and fired a burst of plasma from her Buster with the speed of light. The other Navi gave a startled cry and jumped aside.

"Hey!! It was an accident!! I'm sorry!!" the dark green and blue Navi said.

Muramasa remained enraged, yet a small voice in the back of her head said: "Where have I seen this guy before??"

"Like hell!! Rule no. 1, buster!! NEVER TOUCH A WOMAN'S HAIR!!!" she screamed and fired again.

"CHRIST!!!" the Navi exclaimed and suddenly slid out a blood red blade from his glove, with which he cut the bolt in half. 

Muramasa growled in anger and sent another barrage of plasma at the other Navi. The Navi gasped and hurriedly jumped up to avoid the bolts and landed just behind her. Muramasa whirled around, shifted her Buster back into her hand and caught the incoming blade between both hands. Discharges were sent every which way as the strange Navi continued to push his sword downward, while Muramasa did her best to stop it. Both Navis were growling as they tried to best each other. 

Muramasa finally had enough and used the same trick she had used against Mega before, and catapulted the Navi over her, and sent him sprawling. The Navi shook his head and got back up, frowning angrily.

"Alright! I've had it with you!!!" the Navi screamed, retracted his sword and grabbed two Busters from a belt around his waist.

Muramasa easily dodged the pellets of plasma as she ran at the other Navi. Before the Navi knew what happened, Muramasa's fist was buried in his guts, making him gasp in pain and drop his Busters. She then started punching at him, but he managed to block most of her hits. 

With a growl, Muramasa snapped her fists open, exposing the razor-sharp claws and started to lash out. With a yelp of surprise, the Navi jumped away, avoiding her claws by a hair. Muramasa frowned and got her Buster out again and started firing. With agile leaps and flips, the Navi managed to stay out of harm's way.

Somewhere during the fight, he managed to get a hold of one of his own Busters, and fired blindly at the female-Navi. The shot hit the girl straight against the Navi-Symbol just above her abdomen, sending her back with a cry.

She tried to sit up, but her body burned from the single shot, though she ignored it mostly.

"Shimatta," she cursed under her breath.

When she heard something clatter to the ground she looked up in slight surprise. The Navi was staring at her with wide eyes, having dropped his Buster to the ground.

"W-w-what did you say!?" he demanded.

She blinked, wondering if he had understood her but repeated what she had said nonetheless.

The Navi suddenly broke into a smile.

"Ray?! Is that you!?"

Muramasa nearly fell back down in shock.

"N-n-nani!?!? How the hell did you?!?!" she asked, standing up rather clumsily.

The Navi pulled off his helmet, and Muramasa gasped in shock.

"Bushhead?!?!" she demanded.

Dare smiled broadly. 

Silence reigned for awhile, and then --

"What the hell are you--- I mean how did you---" they said at the same time, pointing at each other, causing them to fall silent again, before they burst out laughing.

--

Once the two of them could stop, Dare said: "Talk about weird! I was just talking about you and Shine with Mike this morning, and here you are!!"

Muramasa shook her head and said: "Hentai's here too??"

"Uh… yeah, he's my Operator. By the way, I'm called Razor now."

"I can see why," Muramasa said. "My name's Muramasa."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Razor asked.

"Later. Anyway, there's trouble."

"Let me guess, deleted Navis are 'revived' and causing havoc."

Muramasa blinked.

"I faced MagnetMan, you?"

"Ducky and Fire-Head."

"AirMan and FireMan, huh?" Razor said. "Bummer."

"Not really. I would've kicked their fucking asses to kingdom come, if they hadn't chickened out and ran."

Razor smiled and said: "You'll never change, huh?"

"Iie. By the way, have you met blueberry yet?"

"Wha?? Oh! Yeah, I met Mega already. Why?"

"No reason, just wondering. Anyway, I should be going. Ja ne!" she called as she ran off.

"Ja ne!!" Razor shouted right back, waving her goodbye.

--

Muramasa continued on her journey, only this time, she was feeling a little better than before. At least they'd have some extra help against whatever was reviving those Navis. For that, she was glad.

'I don't mind deleting all those Navis, but _all_ those Navis at the same time… I don't think I'd be able to handle that.'

A sudden urge suddenly surged through the Navi's body, but she tried to fight it as she continued on. However, that wasn't really that easy. 

Finally she stopped, quite angry with herself, hands on her hips and fuming. She looked around, noting that she was in some sort of desert. She had no idea that this was possible, but she finally dropped it.

The urge was growing, and it took a lot of willpower to stop it.

'Ah what the heck!!' she finally thought.

And a few seconds later, the sound of whistling could be heard across the desert.

Four tones, five notes. 

She started walking, still whistling the five notes, over and over in a tune she would probably never forget.

"Nice tune," a sudden voice said, and Muramasa whirled around with a startled yelp.

Behind her, stood a rather tall Navi, adorning a ruby-red and emerald-green armor and holding a large lance. For the second time that day, Muramasa had a sense of recognition. This time, she didn't ignore the feeling and went straight to the point.

"Have we met? You look familiar," she said.

"I doubt that," the Navi said. "I haven't really been the most social person since a friend of mine left."

Muramasa looked at him oddly, tilting her head to the side.

"How come?" she asked.

Usually, Muramasa wasn't one to pry into other people's business, but maybe it could help her figuring out who it was. 

"I haven't seen her in quite some years, and I'm starting to think she's not even alive."

"Oh?" she asked, starting to identify him. "What was her name?"

"Raye," the Navi said.

Muramasa smirked and said: "That's R-A-Y, Nicky-boy!"

Nick gasped in shock and looked at her like she just grew an extra head. Muramasa was still smirking and removed her helmet from her cranium, making her hair fall back on her back.

"It's been a while, eh Nicky-boy??" she said teasingly. 

"R-R-Ray??! W-w-what are you doing here?!" Nick asked once he could find his voice.

Muramasa sighed and said: "No idea. How'd you get here?"

"Uh… Paul and I were just playing a game, and suddenly we were here."

"Oh, Pauly's here too?" Muramasa asked.

Nick gave a sigh and said: "Ray… we're no little kids anymore."

"Neither am I," Muramasa said, putting the helmet back on her head. "I grew up after…"

She let it hang. Nick knew what she meant.

"Anyway!" Nick said, extending his hand. "Nice to meet you! My name is Ragnarok.EXE, but everyone calls me Ragna."

Muramasa blinked, then smirked and said, shaking the Navi's hand: "Muramasa.EXE, Official NetNavi, pleasure."

"No kidding!" Ragna said.

"Chaud persuaded Shine and me," Muramasa said. "Piece of cake."

"Well duh! I mean, you're the Ultimate MegaMan Warrior! Always were, always will be!" Ragna said with a smile.

"As if," Muramasa said.

"No! I'm serious!! With all those high scores of yours!! I'm _still_ trying to beat your high scores!!" Ragna said, placing his hands on her shoulders.

Muramasa stammered for awhile, feeling her cheeks burn. Ragna seemed to always be the only one able to do that to her.

"Kuso! How the hell do you keep doing that!?!" she demanded.

"Guess I know you too well," Ragna said, giving the girl a tap on her nose and running off.

Muramasa blinked, when she realized that Ragna was laughing. 

She growled and ran after him, screaming: "RAGNA!! YOU JERK!!! GET BACK HERE!!!"

--

About an hour before the sun was due to set, Muramasa returned to Chaud's server, her face neutral, like it always was. She looked about for awhile, suddenly feeling something trickle in the back of her mind. 

--

__

Blood…

--

Muramasa winced as the word suddenly bounced through her skull, but she shook it off.

"Tadaima!!" she called out.

A link between Shine and her was opened within a few moments.

"Youkoso, onnechan," Shine said excitedly.

"Shine! I told you a thousand times already!! Don't call me that!!!"

"Fine with me!" Shine said.

"Then stop it already!!"

Shine simply smiled with a look that said: "No way!"

"Found any new friends?" Shine asked.

Muramasa didn't respond for awhile, then smirked and said: "Iie, but I did find some old friends."

"Nani???"

"Bushhead and Nicky-boy are here."

"They are?!?!" Shine asked, shocked out of her wits.

"Hai, they are," Muramasa said with a nod.

Shine smiled brightly, and said: "Well! Looks like we're no longer alone!"

"My thoughts exactly."

-- 

****

Looks like they finally met! ^_^ ……………………AH WHAT THE HECK!! If you know what tune Muramasa was whistling, get yourself another cookie [this place's driving me insane @_@]


	8. Chapter III Part 2: Ragnarok & The Squir...

****

Okay, hangover's gone now. Man. Sorry I haven't been around for awhile, but I've been busy with my comic again. Chibiki says it's pretty good, but I can't be the judge of it. Anyway, it's been posted on my website, so check it out if you feel like it.

------------------------------------

Chibiki-Wuz-Here: o_0 Jesus girl!! Translate that will you?!

TJ and Rikumon: [laughs] Hey, one thing though. Unless you want me to die laughing, I suggest you stop, okay?

maverickzero: No sweat! -_^

Song: I hardly touch the stuff, but I just had to have something to cool down. Well, most of the times, yeah. But in this case, I've got nothing better to do, so I constantly work on this story.

Hellspawn: I guess so. 

Hellspawn: How the hell was _I_ supposed to know that?! I live in the Netherlands for God's sake!!

Sol Sabre: Thanks for liking the story.

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter III Part 2: Ragnarok & The Squirt

"Hey Mike."

"Hmmm?"

"If Shine and Ray were here, do you think we would be able to beat those guys?"

"Probably. I mean, Ray's an expert when it comes to Mega Man, and Shine could probably help a lot too."

"God, I wish they were here."

"So do I, Razor."

--

Mike gave a sigh as he sat down on a bench near the Official Center. It had been about a week since they fought MagnetMan, and 4 days since they became Officials. It had taken some heavy battling on both their accounts, and it had left them both exhausted for hours. They did a few more requests, and checked out just about everything where World 3 or Gospel would strike, were they still around of course.

Everything came out empty.

"This is just plain ridiculous! Now what do we do?!" Mike hissed in anger.

"I don't know, Mike. I honestly don't know," Razor said with a sigh.

Mike leaned back against the bench, and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked up at the sky, watching a few clouds drift by as he wondered what he had to do to fix this mess. If he wasn't mistaking, Lan was already informed, so that wouldn't be necessary. 

"If only Shine and Ray were here," Razor mumbled.

"Keep saying that and they might just appear," Mike said sarcastically.

"Ha, ha, ha," Razor said.

--

"I'm bored," Razor said after a while.

"Yeah, me too," Mike said, and stood up. "Let's find someone to battle."

"I'm in!"

--

Razor shot at the other Navi and made the Navi log out before he'd be deleted. 

Mike smiled and looked up at the sad-looking kid. The kid had challenged him, but Razor had proved to be the more powerful Navi. 

"Next time, think twice before trying to take us on," Mike said, plugging Razor out from the arena.

The kid nodded and left quickly. Mike shrugged his shoulders, and headed out of the arcade. Or at least, he wanted to at first. 

Mike turned when he noticed two NetBattlers fight a rather hectic battle. And surprisingly, one of the fighters was Ribitta. Mike smirked and walked over to watch the fight. This would prove to be quite interesting.

He looked at the fight and noticed ToadMan fighting a red and green armored Navi wielding a lance that looked like the one Zero used in MMZ.

The Navi jumped away from ToadMan and held his lance in both hands. ToadMan frowned in irritation, and ran at the much taller Navi. The Navi frowned and suddenly aimed his lance at the other Navi. With amazing speed, the lance extended and hit the toad-Navi square in the chest, sending him back with a vicious lash across his Navi-Symbol.

"ToadMan!! Plug Out!!" Ribitta commanded, and ToadMan obeyed.

Surprisingly, the taller Navi hardly suffered from any injuries. The Navi's Operator breathed a sigh of relief, and plugged his Navi out.

"Good going, Ragna," the boy said.

"Piece of cake!" the Navi said in response.

After congratulating the boy, Ribitta left as fast as she came, no doubt to continue DNN news. After she left, Mike approached the victorious boy.

"Nice battle there," he said calmly, making the boy look at him in confusion.

"Huh?? Oh, uh… thanks…" the boy said.

"I find it surprising that your Navi didn't get a single scratch with that fight," Mike said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Guess I'm just good," the boy said with a shrug.

"Oh really?" Mike challenged. "You wouldn't be able to last a minute against _my_ Navi."

The boy growled and said: "I bet I could!!"

"Let's see it then!"

--

"Plug in! Ragnarok.EXE!! Transmission!!"

"Plug in!! Razor.EXE!!! Transmission!!!"

--

The two Navis shot down into the arena, standing face-to-face with each other, neither intimidated by the other.

Ragna frowned and said: "Don't expect me to go easy on you."

Razor snickered and said: "I wasn't expecting you to. Just don't think I'll be easy just 'cause I'm smaller than you."

Ragna growled a little and got into a battle position. Razor smirked and did the same. Finally the words "BATTLE START" shot across the ground, and the two Navis began their fight.

Razor ran at Ragna, but quickly rolled aside to avoid a swipe from Ragna's lance.

--

"Long Sword!! Slot in!!!"

--

Razor's hand shifted into a flaming purple blade, and the Navi shot at Ragna with almost blinding speed. Ragna easily blocked all swings the other Navi threw at him. Razor frowned at this and suddenly smirked. He quickly grabbed one of his Busters with his remaining hand, and fired a pelt of plasma at the taller Navi.

Ragna was sent away, just as the LongSword-chip gave up. Razor growled as Ragna didn't seem harmed by the blast.

"Razor!!" Mike shouted. "You don't need chips to use swords!!"

Razor almost slapped his forehead, but decided against it.

"I hear ya!!" he said, and slid out both of his fire-red blades, much to the other Navi's surprise.

With a yell, Razor shot at the taller Navi, and lashed out with both blades. Somehow, Ragna managed to block both blades with his lance though, and managed to flip Razor aside.

--

"Mega Cannon!! Slot in!!"

--

Ragna's right arm shifted into a large cannon, which he quickly aimed at Razor.

--

"Barrier!! Slot in!!"

--

The large pelt of plasma bounced right off on the shield. Ragna growled as his hand shifted into an ordinary Buster. With a whine, and then a large bang, the blue bolt was sent at the smaller Navi.

Razor furrowed his brows, raised both blades to form an 'X' in front of him, and slashed downward with a yell. A large shockwave shaped like a blood-red 'X' shot forward, slicing through the bolt of plasma and continuing on toward Ragna. 

With an agile leap, Ragna jumped out of harm's way, and landed gracefully on his feet. 

"You're quite fast," Razor complimented. "But dodge this!!!"

And with that, Razor started hacking at the air in front of him, sending gigantic shockwaves toward the taller Navi, who was having serious problems dodging them all, and got a hit in every now and then.

--

"Oh darn!! Revover80!! Slot in!!"

--

Ragna shook his head and glared at Razor. 

"Swallow this!!!" the Navi screamed, and used the same move he'd used against ToadMan, making his lance extend to nearly four times its original length. 

Razor's brains started working overtime, and finally, he smirked. He retracted both blades, and jumped up. Time seemed to stop as a certain memory surfaced.

**__**

*Flashback*

"You gotta be kidding me!!" Dare said as he stared at the equipment in the gym. "You train _here_?!"

"Hai," Ray said as she finished braiding her long mane, tying it up with a blood-red ribbon. "I need to stay in shape somehow."

"You sound more like a guy than a girl, you know that?" Dare asked, looking at the girl with a skeptical look.

"A lot of people say that," Ray said, and tied silver ribbons around her wrists.

Dare looked at them in confusion and before he could ask anything, Ray held up her hand and told him: "Hold this."

The boy blinked and took her hand in his own. Ray suddenly relaxed all the muscles in her arm, and with lightning fast speed, her arm dropped to her side, Dare being unable to hold it up. For some reason, her hand weighed a lot more than before.

"I've been taught to use weighted clothing during my training," Ray explained.

Dare smiled and said: "Can you show something I could possibly do too?"

Ray bit her bottom lip, staring at the ceiling from the corner of her eyes, then said: "Maybe, demo…"

"But what??" Dare asked.

"It might not work on the first try," Ray said, and walked over to a rather long beam. "It took me a few weeks to get the hang of it."

Dare smirked, hearing the challenge in Ray's voice. Ray kept on challenging him, not like he was complaining, because he felt like she was slowly starting to trust him more and more.

"And what would that be?" Dare asked.

Ray didn't answer and stared at the end of the beam. The beam was very thin, seeing as Ray could only place both feet on it if they were placed in a line. Ray took a deep breath, closing her eyes, and breathed out silently. Her eyes opened with a snap and she ran five paces on the beam, jumped in the air, landed with her hands on the beam, pushed off, landed on both her feet, jumped, landed on her hands again, pushed off again, flipped forward, landed on her feet, jumped off, and cartwheeled through the air, before landing gracefully on her feet in a crouch.

Dare was left staring.

"Holy shit! How'd you do that!?" he demanded.

"Three words bushhead!" Ray said, holding up three fingers briefly. "Practice, practice, practice."

"How'm I supposed to do that?!" he asked.

"Well, to actually perform it, you have to clear your mind of any thoughts. It must be a blank page."

"What the?! And, how do I do that?!"

"You just do. There is no secret to it."

**__**

*End Flashback*

'Okay… blank page… Gods… please make this work…' Razor prayed, before all his thoughts stopped dead.

The lance shot past underneath him, and when he came down, he landed with both feet on a line on the handle of the lance. 

__

Five paces, jump, land, push off, land, jump, land, push off, flip forward, land, jump, cartwheel.

The only thing difference, was the ending, seeing as Razor somehow managed to kick Ragna straight in his face, sending him back.

When Razor finally landed, he looked up at the Navi lying a little further up ahead, who was rubbing his sore jaw, groaning slightly as he rubbed the sore place on his face.

--

'I didn't know Razor could do that,' Mike thought as he stared at the battlefield.

"Okay! Enough!! Ragna!! Plug out!!" the other boy stated firmly, and the Navi obeyed calmly.

"Razor, good job," Mike said.

Razor smirked and plugged out as well.

The other boy turned to Mike and said: "That was a good battle! You're pretty experienced!"

Mike smirked and said: "Well, why do you think I became an Official?"

"No way! You're an Official!?"

"Sure am. Name's Mike, and you are?"

"Jinn."

"Well, Jinn, you could make a perfect Official too," Mike said, but before he could say anymore, Razor interrupted with a familiar bleeping.

"Mike! You've got mail from the Center!" 

"Oh great! Now what!?" Mike asked and checked the email.

--

__

This is a message to all Official NetBattlers. We have found serious disturbances at KotoSquare. We're not sure what it means, but just in case, it needs to be checked out. The last time something like this happened, was during Gospel, and we'd rather not have a repeat of that.

--

Mike gave a sigh and placed his PET in his holster again.

"Duty calls," Mike said with a shrug.

Jinn nodded and said: "Maybe I'll see you again?"

"Yeah sure," Mike said, and shook the kid's hand, before rushing off.

--

Razor shot down onto the Net in a streak of lightning, and calmly opened his eyes, looking around for a moment. Finally, Razor started running toward KotoSquare. That was also one of the things he hated. The long distances you had to run. He sometimes had the feeling he spent more time running around than he was busting viruses and fighting other Navis.

'Why the hell do they have such long roads to other Squares?!' Razor asked in his mind as he continued to run.

--

Quite some time later, Razor finally arrived at KotoSquare. The place was crowded with all kinds of Navis, and Razor looked around for anything out of place. It seemed like everything was just fine though. However, he'd said the same about the same Square when he played the games, so he wasn't taking any chances.

So, he started exploring the Square, not bothered by the female-Navis staring at him. He had more important things to do than chasing after girls, which he never did anyway.

--

After scanning the entire city, Razor had only managed to find a strange energy-source radiating from one of the buildings. This he reported to the Center, and told them to send some rookies to take care of it. Once that was done, Razor decided to head back. 

Not knowing why, but feeling like he'd be sorry if he didn't, he decided to run back. He might find some viruses to bust, and it would be good for his condition, though that wasn't really necessary for Navis.

For what must've been the hundredth time that day, he wished Ray was there. However, Razor was so lost in thought, that ---

__

BANG!!!

"AAAH!!"

"WHOA!!"

He crashed straight into another Navi, and both were sent to the ground, ending with Razor on top. Razor groaned and tried to get up, but his hand was placed on something oddly smooth, so he suddenly slipped. He heard a restraint hiss coming from the other Navi, and before he knew it, he received an elbow to his jaw, sending him away with relative ease.

He shook his head and looked up. Razor gave a startled cry as he jumped aside to avoid a large burst of plasma shot his way. He looked up at the Navi, and noticed the enraged look in the girl's magenta colored eyes. That, combined with the long mane of gray hair, reminded Razor of Ray.

"Hey!! It was an accident!! I'm sorry!!" he said to her.

The girl still looked enraged, holding her Buster tightly with her other hand.

"Like hell!!" she screamed. "Rule no. 1, buster!! NEVER TOUCH A WOMAN'S HAIR!!"

That said, she fired another burst of plasma at him. Razor's eyes widened at the size of it.

"CHRIST!!!" he exclaimed and hurriedly slid out one of his blades, and used it to slash the bolt in half.

Razor looked up and gasped when he saw the girl send a barrage of plasma his way. With a strong leap, he managed to jump over the bolts and landed just behind the Navi. He whirled around and lashed downward at the Navi. 

What he hadn't counted on, was that the girl would try to stop the blade with her bare hands. Well, they weren't really bare, but you get the idea. She held the blade between her palms, and it seemed like she was praying, if it weren't for the angered look on her face. Razor knew he looked pissed off as well, as he tried to get the blade to continue its path, which the girl wouldn't allow. At some point, they started growling at each other, as neither was planning to give in and discharges were sent every which way.

The girl suddenly fell back, taking Razor with her. She landed on her back, planted her foot in his gut, and catapulted Razor over her. Razor kept on rolling for awhile, until he finally managed to lay still.

'Whoa. She's good,' Razor thought, slightly dazed, until he shook his head and got back up.

He put on an angry frown and growled.

"Alright! I've had it with you!!!" he screamed.

Razor easily retracted his sword and pulled out both his Busters. He started firing pellets of plasma at the girl, but she dodged them easily. Razor failed to notice that she was running toward him, until it was too late and he found her fist buried in his guts. He gasped in pain and his hands reflexively dropped his Busters. Razor hardly had a chance to recover as she sent a barrage of punches at him, aiming mainly for his face.

Silently thanking Ray's training, he managed to block most of her hits. A few hit him, but it was nothing too serious. He heard the female-Navi growl, though he wasn't too sure why she did that. Razor suddenly gave a startled yelp as she suddenly lunged out with a clawed hand and jumped away, avoiding her claws by a hair.

The girl frowned and got her Buster out again, and began to fire at him again. Razor managed to get out of harm's way with agile leaps and flips, but it took some effort. Razor suddenly noticed one of his Busters laying a little further ahead, and tried to get to it without looking too suspicious.

'Gotcha!!' he thought and grabbed a hold of his Buster as he cartwheeled over it.

As he flipped back, he fired blindly at the other Navi. Surprisingly, the blast hit. The pelt of plasma struck the sigma-emblem just above her abdomen, which was most likely her Navi-Symbol. With a cry of surprise, she was sent back and crashed roughly on the ground. She groaned as she leaned on her elbows, trying to get up, though the hit to her Navi-Symbol had caused her a lot of pain.

His ears suddenly picked up a word that didn't belong in the MegaMan world, and in shock, he dropped his Buster, which clattered loudly as it fell. The girl looked up in slight surprise, magenta eyes questioning him. Razor knew his eyes were wide, but he couldn't care.

"W-w-what did you say!?" he demanded, wanting to be sure.

The girl blinked, but repeated: "Shimatta."

Razor couldn't do anything to stop the smile from appearing on his face. Not like he bothered.

"Ray?! Is that you!?" he asked, and he noted that the girl almost fell back to the ground.

"N-n-nani!?!? How the hell did you?!?!" she asked, standing up rather clumsily.

Razor hurriedly pulled off his helmet, and Ray gasped in shock.

"Bushhead?!?!" she demanded.

Razor's smile seemed to be even wider.

Silence reigned for awhile, and then --

"What the hell are you--- I mean how did you---" they said at the same time, pointing at each other, causing them to fall silent again, before they burst out laughing.

--

Once the two of them could stop, Razor said: "Talk about weird! I was just talking about you and Shine with Mike this morning, and here you are!!"

Ray shook her head and said: "Hentai's here too??"

"Uh… yeah, he's my Operator. By the way, I'm called Razor now."

"I can see why," Ray said. "My name's Muramasa."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Razor asked.

"Later. Anyway, there's trouble."

"Let me guess, deleted Navis are 'revived' and causing havoc."

Muramasa blinked.

"I faced MagnetMan, you?"

"Ducky and Fire-Head."

"AirMan and FireMan, huh?" Razor said. "Bummer."

"Not really. I would've kicked their fucking asses to kingdom come, if they hadn't chickened out and ran."

Razor smiled and said: "You'll never change, huh?"

"Iie. By the way, have you met blueberry yet?"

"Wha?? Oh! Yeah, I met Mega already. Why?"

"No reason, just wondering. Anyway, I should be going. Ja ne!" she called as she ran off.

"Ja ne!!" Razor shouted right back, waving her goodbye.

After only a few seconds, Muramasa had vanished from his sight. Razor was still smiling as he put his helmet back on his head. 

He finally turned and ran, back to Mike's server.

--

"MIKE!!!" Razor screamed once he returned, causing Mike to cry out in surprise.

"Christ!! Razor!!!" Mike said angrily, holding a hand to his rapidly beating heart. 

"You're never going to believe who I just ran into!!" Razor said, ignoring Mike's glare.

Mike rolled his eyes.

"Oh, do tell," he mumbled sarcastically.

"I found Ray!!!"

At that sentence, Mike fell over, anime-style, and jumped back up within a second.

"You what!?!?"

"I did!!! But she's called Muramasa now!"

"Holy shit!! So!? How strong was she?!"

"Do you have to ask!!?? She nearly deleted me out there!!" 

"Wow!!"

"Wow indeed!!"

--

"So, did you ask for her help while you were there?"

"She was already working on it with Shine."

"She's here too?"

"Yeah, but in any case. She had to face AirMan and FireMan, or as Muramasa said, 'Ducky and Fire-Head'."

Mike laughed about that.

"She'll never change."

"You're telling me!"

"Did you speak to Shine?"

"No. Muramasa seemed to be in a hurry, so I didn't really get the chance."

"Aha. Well, I'm sure we'll see her somewhere around here."

"Right."

--

A little later that day, Mike found himself getting off the bus in ADCD Town, and he calmly headed to the park. It'd been a frustrating day, with the knowledge that Shine and Ray were somewhere there too being the only source of light on the rather gloomy day. So, Razor had suggested that they head for the park in ADCD Town to calm down a little.

The trip to the park was almost enough already to calm Mike down, but he still headed for the park. Razor was remarkably quiet, but Mike decided not to disturb his Navi right now. He had no reason to anyway.

There weren't many people out at the park. Mostly because it was almost 5:15, but also because the night was quite nippy outside. Mike was glad he had his jacket with him, though he didn't mind the chilliness of the night. And Razor wasn't complaining either.

But Mike was shocked to find a very familiar face there. However, he soon shook it off, and walked over to the bench where the kid was sitting, all by himself.

"Hey there," Mike said, making the boy look up in confusion.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Doesn't matter, really," Mike said, waving the matter aside and sitting down beside the boy.

He slung one of his legs across the other, placed his hands behind his head and leaned back against the bench. This made him stare up at the sky, but he wasn't complaining. He watched the clouds pass by, smiling as he saw the strangest things in some of them. 

"What's so funny?"

Mike turned his head toward the boy with a lightly confused look, then smiled and looked back at the sky.

"I'm trying to identify what the clouds are," he said.

The boy frowned and said: "They're just small droplets of water that are being held up by---"

"Not like that, smartass!!" Mike said with a chuckle. "I know clouds are nothing but water, but I'm trying to identify their _shape_."

The boy blinked and looked up to check it out for himself.

"Hey look, look!" Mike said, pointing at a rather odd-looking cloud. "That almost looks like a turtle with wings!"

The boy squinted at the cloud, then burst out laughing.

"You're right! It is! Hey, look at that one!!" he said, pointing. "That looks like the emblem of Gospel."

"No kidding?" Mike said. "I've never seen it before."

"Oh, I've seen it enough!" the boy said, frowning.

Mike looked at him, blinking.

"How so?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay. I'm not going to force you."

"Then you're the first."

"Huh??"

"…Nothing."

--

They continued their cloudgazing, until Mike noted that the sun had already vanished halfway below the surface.

"I should be going," Mike said, and stood up.

He hesitated for a moment, then turned to the younger boy.

"I hope to see you again," he said. "Who knows. We could be friends."

Mike waved the boy goodbye with a smile, and left.

--

The boy was left staring at the other boy's back as he walked off, with only one thought shooting through his head.

'Friends? He… he wants to be friends… with me?'

--

Unbeknownst to Mike or Razor, Razor's fight and conversation with Muramasa had been viewed by a third person. Or rather, Navi.

--

Both had been fiercely strong beyond what he was used to, safe for when he faced MegaMan.EXE. They would all provide to be quite amusing to play with. It's been quite some time since his last battle, and he was looking for a new challenge. 

Sadly enough, both of them had been rather busy. But it didn't really bother him; he would just stalk either one of them until they weren't too busy to fight him. 

Just before the two other Navis left, he started to decide whom to follow, rubbing his right hand over his chin in thought. It didn't take long and he was soon following the Navi around the Net. The younger Navi didn't seem to be busy with anything, but he decided to wait for a few moments. 

When she suddenly started whistling, he was caught completely off-guard, and he temporarily forgot why he was there, and just listened.

It existed out of 4 different tones, and formed 5 notes.

He watched the Navi walk as she continued to whistle, the notes lingering in the air for a few seconds before vanishing. 

When she suddenly stopped, he opened his eyes, never having realized he had closed them, and looked up in confusion. The reason became clear when he noticed the other Navi now talking to the gray-haired Navi.

This guy also seemed to be mighty strong, and he started wondering if he could somehow get all three of them together at the same time, and fight them all.

He smirked evilly at that thought. That was exactly what he was going to do.

And he soundlessly left the area, vanishing without a trace.

-- 

****

Z: NO WAY IN HELL AM I SAYING IT!!

Chibi-chan: Hey! If you won't, I will!!

Z: DON'T YOU DARE!!!

Gamma: Why not?! She can say it if she wants to!!

Chibi-chan: ^_^ Thanks Gamma! 

Gamma: Can I go blow something up now?

Z: UGH!! Go to the Training-Center if you want to fight!! But I'm not sending you alone!! DELTA!!!

Delta: Yeah?

Z: Go with Gamma and make sure he doesn't tear the place down like last time!

Delta: Sure, Z.

Gamma: HEY!!! I'm telling you!! That wasn't my fault!!!

Delta: Oh shut up and start moving, stupid bird!!

Gamma: Who's stupid here you filthy mutt?!?!

Delta: :( Wait 'til I get my claws on you!!!

Gamma: YIKES!!! [flies off with Delta on his heels]

[Z and Chibi-chan sweatdrop]

Z: Hmmm… maybe I shouldn't have made Gamma so hostile.

Chibi-chan: Hey!! Delta started it!!

Z: HE DID NOT!!! YOU WANNA HAVE YOUR HEAD SHOT OFF OR WHAT?!?! [charges Buster with a loud whine]

Chibi-chan: Eep! [turns to readers] If you know who Mike was talking to, get yourself a cookie! [runs off]

Z: [growls and Dashes after Chibi-chan]


	9. Chapter III Part 3: Razor & Raye

****

Took some time, but it's here. Okay, listen up! From now on, I'm giving a small sneak-peak at the end of each chapter, but that means I'll have to be (and stay) one chapter ahead of all of you, so it might take some time, but I hope you understand. By the way, I won't be around for awhile. A certain somebody [glares at D. Zero who gulps nervously] mangled up my dog. He'll be alright though. But it'll take some time.

------------------------------------

Youkai Ryuu: Muramasa and Ragna already met, didn't they? In C3P1. ……I know someone who would be _very_ pissed if I even _tried_. 

TJ and Rikumon: I'm doing the best I can

Song: I think that was you who got me to say that. And what gave you that idea?

Hellspawn: That's okay.

Sol Sabre: SUGAR!?!?! ACK!!! DISGUSTING!!! Well gladly!! [shoves pot of sugar in Sol Sabre's hands]

Chibiki-Wuz-Here: Actually, it was Razor's POV. Ragna's is in this chapter.

maverickzero: [points at Song] She got me to keep saying it.

Ratha: Thanks for liking my story.

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter III Part 3: Razor & Raye

"Hey Jinn, I'm bored!"

"I know, Ragna. Me too, but what are we going to do about it?"

"Uh… we could go to an arcade."

"Yeah, or challenge a few NetBattlers."

"Jinn, that's what almost everyone does in an arcade."

"Oh."

--

Jinn soon found himself standing in front of the arcade, and even then he already heard the commands from the other NetBattlers. With a shrug, he headed inside, planning to find something to do.

There were plenty of NetBattlers around, but almost all of them were busy battling. But it was amusing to watch a few kids battle though.

Jinn suddenly noticed Ribitta amongst the fighters, but she wasn't fighting anyone at the moment. Jinn smirked a little, then let it fall and walked over to the woman. It then dawned to him that he had no idea how to approach her. He'd never challenged anyone to a NetBattle before. 

Lucky for him, he didn't have to worry. Ribitta spotted him first.

"Hey there kid!" she said, smiling broadly. "You up for a fight??"

Jinn smiled and nodded, saying: "Sure."

--

They easily found an empty arena, and quickly plugged in their Navis. Ragna was quite some feet taller than the small ToadMan, but the taller Navi didn't intimidate ToadMan. 

"Alright! Let's show her what we've got, Ragna!!" Jinn said with a smirk.

"Heh."

With a leap, ToadMan jumped straight at Ragna, who simply jumped aside to avoid the toad-like Navi. 

"You're too slow tadpole!!" Ragna taunted.

ToadMan growled in anger at the comment and suddenly sent a barrage of cyber-tadpoles at the Navi. Ragna smirked and held his lance with both hands at the absolute center of the stick. The end of the lance suddenly spurted out another lance, and Ragna spun it wildly in his hands, before hurling it away, sending it crashing into the tadpoles, and in the end, into ToadMan as well. 

The green toad-Navi was sent to the ground within a second, and Ragna easily caught his lance in mid-air.

"That was easy," Ragna mumbled, right before ToadMan jumped back up, seething with rage.

Ragna smirked, getting into a battle-position as ToadMan ran (or hopped) at him. The taller Navi took a few moments, before racing at the other Navi, lance pulled back to strike. ToadMan saw it coming though, and jumped up to avoid the swing. At the same time, he flipped over and kicked Ragna to the back of his head, sending him to the ground. 

ToadMan jumped up and was planning to jump on top of Ragna, but the taller Navi simply rolled out of the way. 

--

"High Cannon!! Slot in!!"

--

Ragna sprang up, raised his arm, which had been morphed into a cannon, and fired the large pelt of plasma easily. Stunned, ToadMan got the blast straight to his Navi-Symbol. ToadMan growled, and shot himself at the taller Navi. Ragna jumped away from ToadMan, holding his lance in both hands. ToadMan frowned in irritation, and ran at him. Ragna frowned and hurriedly aimed his lance at the other Navi.

'I hope this works,' Ragna thought.

With amazing speed, the lance extended and hit the toad-Navi square in the chest, sending him back with a vicious lash across his Navi-Symbol.

"ToadMan!! Plug Out!!" Ribitta commanded, and ToadMan obeyed.

Thankfully, Ragna suffered little to no injuries. Jinn breathed a sigh of relief, and plugged his Navi out.

"Good going, Ragna," he said to the Navi.

"Piece of cake!" Ragna said in response, dusting off his shoulder a little.

"Great battle, kid!" Ribitta said, shaking the boy's hand.

"Thanks!" Jinn said, smiling.

"Here, you can have this!" Ribitta said, handing the boy a chip for LifeAura.

"Wow! Thanks!"

And with that, Ribitta left as fast as she came, no doubt to continue DNN news. Jinn watched her go for awhile.

"Nice battle there," an unfamiliar voice suddenly said, making Jinn look behind him in confusion.

The source of the voice had been a boy, looking mighty confident of himself. 

"Huh??" Jinn uttered, until he realized what he had said. "Oh, uh… thanks…"

"I find it surprising that your Navi didn't get a single scratch with that fight," the boy said while crossing his arms over his chest.

Jinn shrugged and said: "Guess I'm just good."

"Oh really?" the boy challenged mockingly. "You wouldn't be able to last a minute against _my_ Navi."

Jinn clenched his fists, growling, and Ragna clutched his lance in anger.

"I bet I could!!" he said.

"Let's see it then!"

--

"Plug in! Ragnarok.EXE!! Transmission!!"

"Plug in!! Razor.EXE!!! Transmission!!!"

--

The two Navis shot down into the arena, standing face-to-face with each other, neither intimidated by the other.

Ragna frowned and said: "Don't expect me to go easy on you."

Razor snickered and said: "I wasn't expecting you to. Just don't think I'll be easy just 'cause I'm smaller than you."

Ragna growled a little and got into a battle position. Razor smirked and did the same. Finally the words "BATTLE START" shot across the ground, and the two Navis began their fight.

Razor ran at Ragna, but quickly rolled aside to avoid a swipe from Ragna's lance.

--

"Long Sword!! Slot in!!!"

--

The Navi's hand shifted into a flaming purple blade, before shooting himself at Ragna with nearly blinding speed. Nonetheless, Ragna easily blocked all swings the smaller Navi threw at him. He kept on blocking, when Razor suddenly pulled out a Buster and sent Ragna away quite a distance, but the LongSword-chip gave up that particular second. Still, the pelt of plasma didn't in the least harm him, this making Razor growl.

"Razor!!" Mike shouted. "You don't need chips to use swords!!"

Razor looked like he was about to slap himself, but he didn't.

"I hear ya!!" he said, and slid out two fire-red blades from his gloves, much to Ragna's surprise.

With a yell, Razor shot at the taller Navi, and lashed out with both blades. Somehow though, Ragna managed to block both blades with his lance, and managed to flip Razor aside.

--

"Mega Cannon!! Slot in!!"

--

Ragna's right arm shifted into a large cannon, which he quickly aimed at Razor.

--

"Barrier!! Slot in!!"

--

The large pelt of plasma bounced right off on the shield. Ragna growled a little as his hand shifted into an ordinary Buster. With a whine, and then a large bang, the blue bolt was sent at the smaller Navi. Razor furrowed his brows, raised both blades to form an 'X' in front of him, and slashed downward with a yell. A large shockwave shaped like a blood-red 'X' shot forward, slicing through the bolt of plasma and continuing on toward Ragna.

Ragna's eyes widened, but he managed to jump out of harm's way with an agile leap, and landed gracefully on his feet.

"You're quite fast," Razor complimented, making Ragna blink. "But dodge this!!!"

And with that, Razor started hacking at the air in front of him, sending gigantic shockwaves toward the taller Navi, who was having serious problems dodging them all, and got a hit in every now and then. The waves were sharp, and bit at his skin, making him hiss in pain whenever one of them would hit him.

--

"Oh darn!! Revover80!! Slot in!!"

--

Ragna shook his head and glared at Razor. 

"Swallow this!!!" Ragna screamed, and used the same move he'd used against ToadMan, making his lance extend to nearly four times its original length. 

Razor stood there for a moment, when he suddenly smirked, retracted his blades, and jumped up. The lance shot past underneath him, and when he came down, he landed with both feet on a line on the handle of the lance. He ran five paces, jumped, landed with his hands on the lance, pushed off, landed on his feet, jumped again, landed again, pushed off, flipped forward, landed, jumped, and cartwheeled through the air, kicking Ragna square in the face, sending him back. 

Ragna groaned, rubbing his sore jaw where Razor had hit him, and tried to sit up.

--

"Okay! Enough!! Ragna!! Plug out!!" Jinn stated firmly, and Ragna obeyed calmly.

"Razor, good job," the other boy said to his Navi.

Razor smirked and plugged out as well.

Jinn turned to the boy and said: "That was a good battle! You're pretty experienced!"

The boy smirked and said: "Well, why do you think I became an Official?"

"No way! You're an Official!?"

"Sure am. Name's Mike, and you are?"

"Jinn."

"Well, Jinn, you could make a perfect Official too," Mike said, but before he could say anymore, Razor interrupted with a familiar bleeping.

"Mike! You've got mail from the Center!" 

"Oh great! Now what!?" Mike asked and checked the email.

Mike read the email over, then gave a sigh and placed his PET in his holster again.

"Duty calls," Mike said with a shrug.

Jinn nodded and said: "Maybe I'll see you again?"

"Yeah sure," Mike said, and shook Jinn's hand, before rushing off.

--

"He's good," Ragna mumbled as they left the arcade.

"Tell me about it," Jinn said softly. "Okay, now what?"

"I dunno. Cruise the Net or something."

"Sure."

--

Ragna spent quite some time cruising the Net, until he got bored and went to the Center to get an A-license. He'd already gotten a Z- and B-license a few days ago, and right now, he didn't have anything else to do. So why not take the exam?

He passed the test with flying colors, and he was glad of it, but now he was bored out of his mind!

That's probably why he'd been walking around for no reason for the past few hours. He wasn't really thinking of anything, which made everything so much worse. Most of the times, when you're bored, thinking helps a lot. But if you don't even know _what_ to think about, what's there to think about?

That's when he heard something that _made_ him think. 

Four tones, five notes.

'What the?! That's Proto's whistle!!' Ragna thought in confusion, and began to walk, searching for the source of the whistle. 

He came to some sort of desert, and noticed a single Navi, walking around, and calmly whistling the tune. The Navi had gray hair like ProtoMan, but she was a girl. Okay, a little muscular, but still a girl.

Calmly, he walked over to her. She didn't seem to notice, because she didn't acknowledge him.

"Nice tune," he said once he was behind her.

The girl gave a startled yelp as she whirled around. The first thing he noticed about her face were the pieces of her helmet that clung to her cheeks like a second skin. Second was the pale skin that made her face stand out between all the blacks and grays of her armor and hair. And then there were the pure magenta colored eyes, as well as the blood-ruby colored gem on her forehead. Also, she had her Navi-Symbol, which was a plain sigma-emblem, embossed on the two caps covering her ears.

She blinked at him, and asked, eyes shining with recognition: "Have we met? You look familiar."

Ragna was silent for awhile, finding it odd that he could actually read this girl so easily. Usually, he could only read people if he knew people perfectly. He couldn't remember having ever seen this girl anywhere before. But those eyes… they did seem familiar…

"I doubt that," he finally said, looking down at the smaller Navi. "I haven't really been the most social person since a friend of mine left."

The girl looked at him oddly, tilting her head a little to the side, asking: "How come?"

Why did that single gesture seem so familiar? It was like he'd seen it so many times before, but he couldn't grasp it. It kept slipping through his fingers.

"I haven't seen her in quite some years, and I'm starting to think she's not even alive."

Why was he even telling her that? He didn't know, but he had to get it off his chest.

"Oh? What was her name?"

Ragna hesitated for a moment, then decided that it couldn't do any harm, and answered: "Raye."

The girl suddenly smirked, and said: "That R-A-Y, Nicky-boy!"

Ragna gasped in shock and stared at the girl like she just grew an extra head. He wasn't sure if this was real, but the only one who had ever called him Nicky-boy, had been…

Still smirking, the girl removed her helmet from her cranium, making her hair fall onto her back. 

"It's been a while, eh Nicky-boy??" she said teasingly. 

"R-R-Ray??! W-w-what are you doing here?!" Ragna asked once he'd relocated his voice.

Ray sighed and said: "No idea. How'd you get here?"

"Uh… Paul and I were just playing a game, and suddenly we were here."

"Oh, Pauly's here too?" Ray asked.

Ragna gave a sigh and said: "Ray… we're no little kids anymore."

"Neither am I," Ray said, putting the helmet back on her head. "I grew up after…"

She let it hang. But Ragna knew what she meant.

"Anyway!" Ragna said, extending his hand. "Nice to meet you! My name is Ragnarok.EXE, but everyone calls me Ragna."

Ray blinked, then smirked and said, shaking the Navi's hand: "Muramasa.EXE, Official NetNavi, pleasure."

"No kidding!" Ragna said.

"Chaud persuaded Shine and me," Muramasa said. "Piece of cake."

"Well duh! I mean, you're the Ultimate MegaMan Warrior! Always were, always will be!" Ragna said with a smile.

"As if," Muramasa said.

"No! I'm serious!! With all those high scores of yours!! I'm _still_ trying to beat your high scores!!" Ragna said, placing his hands on her shoulders.

Muramasa stammered for awhile, feeling her cheeks burn. Ragna seemed to always be the only one able to do that to her.

"Kuso! How the hell do you keep doing that!?!" she demanded.

"Guess I know you too well," Ragna said, giving the girl a tap on her nose and running off.

Ragna was laughing all the way he was running, until he heard Muramasa scream: "RAGNA!! YOU JERK!!! GET BACK HERE!!!"

And thus, she chased him around the Net for quite some time.

--

After Ragna and Muramasa had said their good-byes, they headed back to their own servers, planning to tell their Operators about whom they'd met. Still, there was one sentence that kept echoing in Ragna's mind for quite some time.

__

Chaud persuaded Shine and me…

Chaud persuaded Shine…

Chaud persuaded…

What was Muramasa doing hanging around with Chaud?? He didn't know. But one thing he did know, was that Muramasa thought that some bad guys looked cute.

He chuckled faintly at the memory.

**__**

*Flashback*

"C'mon stupid Auto!! Hurry up!!" Raye hissed as she sat with the controller in hand. "The city's under attack damnit!!"

"Chill out, Raye!" Paul said, trying to calm her.

Raye tried to calm down, but she just wanted to fight already. But when Auto gave Mega a Mett-helmet, the trio burst out laughing.

"H-h-he looks ridiculous wearing that!" Raye managed to get out.

After that scene, the real fighting began, and Raye started fighting the enemies she encountered. Upon reaching the boss, she started running, but didn't fire, only charged. Her eyes followed her enemy's movements, before she finally started firing away, killing the giant robot within only a few moments. 

"You're going down, Wily!!" Raye hissed and continued on. "Huh?? What happened here?"

The reason for this question, were the amounts of enemies lying around, destroyed. Something's passed that robot before Mega had.

Nonetheless, Raye continued on, until…

"Whoa!!"

When she reached a new screen, a black and gold Bioroid suddenly showed up and started firing at Mega. Raye tried to blast him, but every time she fired he jumped. But, as always, Raye soon figured out the pattern and practically had the Bioroid begging for mercy.

But before he would be seriously injured, they started talking.

"Bass and Treble, eh?" Raye wondered aloud, looking at the black Bioroid and purple robotic wolf.

"I don't really like the looks of them," Nick said.

"Oh? I think Bass is kinda cute."

"You what?!?!" Paul and Nick asked at the same time.

"What's the deal?? I'm serious, he's cute!"

Raye continued playing the entire game, until she came to Shade Man's door, where she once again encountered Bass. Mega sent the wounded Bioroid to Light's lab, saying they were a team, and Raye agreed with the Blue Bomber.

But when Raye defeated all Robot Masters…

"Huh!?!?!?" the trio exclaimed.

The reason for this exclamation was because the lab was in ruins.

__

Mega Man: D… Dr. Light. What happened!?

Light: Is that you Mega Man? Bass went berserk after I completed his repairs. He stole the parts for the new enhancements…

"Say what?!?!" Raye demanded, not believing it. 

Nick and Paul looked at each other in confusion.

**__**

*End Flashback*

It had been as if she was attracted to dark, mysterious types, such as Bass, Zero, Dynamo, and even Gate! There were more people who found them attractive, but Raye--I mean, Muramasa--seemed to be instantly attracted to them.

And he started wondering if Chaud or ProtoMan.EXE belonged to that group.

--

"Hey, Jinn! Guess who I met while I cruising around!" Ragna said after opening a link with his Operator.

Jinn picked up his PET and said: "I give up. Who?"

"I'll give you a hint. She's got gray hair, and her eyes are magenta."

"Wha!??! Raye?!?!"

"Yep. But she's known as Muramasa now. Man, she changed a lot! I can tell you that!"

"I can imagine. It's been quite some time."

"That's what she said too."

"Did you ask her why she kept ignoring us for so long?"

"Yeah, after she stopped chasing me around."

"Excuse me??"

"Later! Anyway, she said she spent a few years in Japan, where she went to college. She also studied the MA there, and after that, she came back to the USA, and she apparently got a job when she came back. Don't know where, she didn't tell."

"Aha."

"That might explain the accent."

"Accent??"

"Yeah, she's got a Japanese accent. She spent quite some time there."

"Most likely."

"………"

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Wha?? Oh. Nothing. Just…"

"What is it, Ragna? Come on, tell me!"

"Her voice… it was the same as the one from my dream…"

"Say what?! She was with you there!?"

"Yeah… and… now that I think about it… that Razor guy was there too. He was that other guy."

"………Now… now that you mention it. That Mike… I could've sworn that was one of the voices I heard in _my_ dream."

"…………"

"…………"

"………………"

"………………"

"……………………"

"……………………"

"…………………………"

"…………………………"

"Something's definitely not right here."

"You're telling me!"

--

__

Ragna opened his eyes, only to find himself some place dark, and the strangest part was; he was afloat!

Panic was the first emotion to enter him as he tried to understand what was going on, until he suddenly noticed, that even in the dark, he, himself, was quite visible… but… he was without his armor…

Or… it felt that way.

He couldn't feel the armor on his skin, but he wasn't sure, seeing as he was now paying more attention to where he was. Wherever he was, it was unfamiliar. He couldn't find anything he recognized, but he kept searching. He tried to move through the darkness, and found out he just have to think of a direction to go to move.

Floating on and on in the darkness, he kept on looking for anything, until…

A piercing orb of light suddenly popped up, making him halt and shield his eyes. The light was not white, yellow, or orange, as lights usually are. No, this one was a piercing blood red. Ragna looked at the light through his arms, confused, until he realized there were two of them.

The lights simply hung there, not doing anything, until the lights narrowed, and it dawned to Ragna that he wasn't looking at lights, but at a pair of eyes!

The eyes blinked, then closed completely, leaving him in the darkness again.

About to question it, Ragna screamed out as a furious pain seared through his back.

He turned to look through squinted eyes, gritting his teeth, trying not to hiss, finding it impossible. A furious red gaze is fixed on him, and a figure, cloaked in complete darkness looms over him, before raising a clawed and hand, and thrusting it straight at his face!

--

"JESUS CHRIST!!!" Ragna shouted as he was startled awake from the nightmare.

Confused, the tall Navi looked around, not quite understanding what was going on. He sat up carefully, as if his back still hurt, which definitely wasn't the case.

'Just what the hell was that??' he wondered, before dropping back down.

The nightmare had left him completely clueless, and he wasn't sure how to react to it.

"Ah, whatever," Ragna finally mumbled, and tumbled back into Neverland.

--

What he didn't know, was that two other Navis were having the same dream as him, and were just as confused as he was.

The Navis were both wide-awake, trying to understand the message behind their dream, but unable to find it. They knew it had to be somewhere in their heads, but no matter what, they couldn't find the answer.

--

Razor started pacing around, confused about the dream, before he stopped and tapped his foot in annoyance, arms crossed.

"Damned dream…" he muttered. "It's making me nervous as hell. I'm just going to ignore it. Not like this'll do me any good."

--

Muramasa gently moved a hand through her hair, purposely avoiding a certain spot on her cranium, as she sat on her bed, staring at the wall. 

She kept on mumbling in Japanese, saying stuff I'd rather not mention, seeing as there might be little kids reading this.

--

Somewhere on the Net, roamed a Navi who had been thought to be deleted years ago, known amongst people as a Navi of Gospel. One of the speediest Navis ever created, yet he was deleted by a child. A child and a blasted Navi! But now he would have his revenge!

"Hmph, another one of those danged clones," a cold sadistic voice called out.

The Navi whirled around, only to receive a pure purple blast shot through his chest, and quite a couple of other blasts incinerating the rest of his body.

Raising his black- and gold-gloved hand, he blew the smoke away from his fingers, like cowboys do in the Wild West.

"So this is what's keeping them busy," he murmured, starting to walk around. "And if they're busy, they won't have time to 'play'. Hmph. Looks like I'm going to have to do something about this."

And with that, he dashed off, before vanishing to another Net within only a few seconds.

--

"Another Navi's been deleted…"

"By who this time?"

"I don't know sir…"

"Hmmm… copy them all again… and did you get what I wanted?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Let us begin then."

__

AOOGA!! AOOGA!!

"What in blazes?!"

"Sir! There's something on our server!!"

"Then get rid of it!!"

"We can't, sir! It's too powerful!!"

"…!!! Are you saying that…!??!"

__

Bleep bleep!

"Message for you, sir."

"What?!?!"

"…………So… you've been keeping them busy…"

"What???"

"Sir??"

"……Heh… not for long…"

"Sir! The power's going across the limit!!"

"Oh shit!! Do something about it!!"

"We can't! Everything's jammed!!!"

"Ahahaha… AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

-- 

****

Z: [holds Buster ready] Just try!

Chibi-chan: Er… [sweatdrop] I'll pass…

D. Zero: Chicken…

Z: Oh really? [aims Buster at D. Zero] Let's see you try.

D. Zero: No thanks. It's a childish act to do.

Z: Well, at least _someone_ here's got brains… [thinks] oh… scratch that…

D. Zero: What do you mean?!?

Z: Attacking my dog wasn't the smartest thing to do.

D. Zero: Lost my temper. And besides, you can fix him!

Z: Shut it.

D. X: Wasn't there supposed to be a sneak-peak??

Z: Eh?? Oh! Right.

--

SNEAK-PEAK OF: Power Drill

__

"Alright handy---"

"'Ey! Jus' 'cause I dun've 'ands dun mean I can't kick yer arse!"

"……………What's with the accent? Did they forget to fix your speech?"

"Ah, drill ya!!!"

"……????"

"Uh… I ain't allowed ta screw…"

"………………And here I thought I saw the weirdest of Navis already!"


	10. Chapter IV Part 1: Drill Power

****

Muramasa lovers out there (if any at all -_-;;) BEWARE!! Some Muramasa bashing ahead. Didn't like it myself, but I had to. 

------------------------------------

Pyrogirll23: I'm suspecting you got my email? Right?

Song: See? And, yeah! Greatest comic in the world! ^_^ I'm trying my hand at it, but it ain't too good. In my own opinion I mean.

maverickzero: That's okay.

TJ and Rikumon: Thanks. 

Enigma: I'm doing my best.

Scrambler: Eh? What's this "Get Ability Program"? And yes, I knew that. That's one of the reasons I chose that name, because Muramasa's more dangerous if she's hurt. And, you're welcome.

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter IV Part 1: Power Drill

"That bakayoro thought he could fool me. I showed him!"

"Heheh, I can only guess what you did."

"Try."

"Okay… hmmm… he pissed you off and you suckerpunched 'im."

"Not really."

"Oh. Okay, what _did_ you do?"

"I kicked him in the family jewels! That's what I did!"

"Ouch! That must've hurt!"

"I'll bet! He sounded like either Chip or Dale after that."

--

Two pairs of laughs sounded across the Net of a certain whitehead's house. Two gray-haired Navis, both a different gender, the girl sitting on the sink, and the boy on a chair, were laughing their heads off, both having gotten rid of their helmets, sipping energy every now and then. Much to the girl's surprise, the boy's eyes were the _exact _same color as her own. After they both did some research, they discovered that their hair, was also identical.

They found it odd at first, but now, they were okay with it. They never told their Operators though.

Muramasa took a large swig of her drink and said, in a strange, squeaky voice: "Aaaah!! You bitch!! I'm gonna get you for that one!!" then resumed in her usual voice: "Oh yeah!? Well take this!! WHAM!!" and kicked an imaginary person in front of her.

Proto laughed wholeheartedly at the scene, and said: "Man. I can suspect he was sorry!"

"Hai, hai, he was!" she said with a nod, calmly sipping her drink again.

After downing the can, Muramasa jumped off of the sink, and stretched a little, making her spine pop.

"Crack, there goes my spine again," she muttered darkly, before straightening up.

Proto rolled his eyes, crushed his empty can in his hand, and tossed it blindly into the trashcan.

"Three points," Muramasa chuckled.

As the duo headed for the Net, they both put on their helmets, not wanting to risk anything.

"Found anything about those Navis being revived?"

"Iie. But they're keeping quiet for some reason."

"Odd…"

"You're telling me!"

--

Shine woke up that day around 11 in the morning, due to the fact that she'd made it quite late last night. That's also something about her, once she's got her nose stuck in something, it's practically impossible to make her do anything else, which includes sleeping. There've been quite some times that she didn't sleep at night and slept during the day instead.

Right now, it involved all those resurrected Navis. Something was definitely going on around here. The Navis were either from World 3 or Gospel, though Shine needed Muramasa to figure out whom they belonged to. She was confused, like practically everyone, and she was unsure of where she had to look for information. Muramasa was doing her part by searching the Net, and Shine was doing her own part.

It wasn't easy, but she was doing the best she could.

With a yawn, the young whitehead sat up, stretching her arms above her head, popping her fingers in the process. While still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she got up and walked over to the desk-chair, where she'd left her clothes on.

After getting dressed, she combed the messy white tresses that were her hair, and tied them in the usual four ponytails, two on each side of her head, with a small batch of hair hanging loose on her back. Her hair now came past her shoulders, and it unnerved her a little. She'd have to cut it soon.

Still rather drowsy, she walked into the bathroom, and poured some water into the sink. She then cupped some of the water in her hands, took a deep breath, closed her eyes and…

"WAH!!"

Shine cried out in surprise as the freezing water hit her face, waking her up instantly. She shook her head wildly to get rid of the water on her face, and wiped of the remaining droplets with a towel. 

"Okay! I'm awake!" she announced to herself with a smile, before heading downstairs.

Chaud was probably already awake, as he always was. And he went to bed around the same time as she did. Actually, he'd been the one to literally _rip_ her away from the computer and throw her in bed. 

When she came down, she saw Chaud watching the news on TV in the livingroom. When he heard her come into the room, he looked up briefly, then turned back to the TV.

"You slept in," was all he said.

"Yeah, konnichiwa to you too," Shine said with a smile, and took a seat in the armchair, looking at the TV too.

Apparently, there was a new drilling company opening up a few miles away from Den City, which happened to have one of the largest drills imaginable. And it was going to make a test run with it somewhere that afternoon. Shine already knew what Chaud was thinking off. There was no way in hell that any new NetCrime-Organization was going to let an opportunity like this slip through their fingers.

If they did, then they were pretty stupid. The need wasn't really necessary, as long as they brought panic to the people.

"I'll go get my stuff, okay?" Shine said, and headed back upstairs.

"Whatever," Chaud mumbled.

__

THWAP!!

"OW!!"

Chaud frowned angrily, rubbing the back of his head where Shine had hit him.

Shine turned in the doorway, and said, smiling: "Can you get Muramasa for me? She's probably out somewhere on the UnderNet. Arigatou!" before vanishing upstairs.

The older whitehead groaned and rubbed at his eyes tiredly. Not because he was tired, but because Shine just wouldn't calm down. She was always so unnecessarily hyper all the time.

Nonetheless, he contacted Muramasa, using his PET.

"Muramasa.EXE," the girl Navi's voice said calmly.

"Chaud here, Shine wants you back here, we're leaving in about an hour," Chaud said.

It had been silently decided upon. Shine seemed to understand that Chaud always went at something right away, and she was okay with it. Muramasa was too.

"Understood. I'm on my way," Muramasa said, and broke the connection.

Chaud then contacted his own Navi and told him to come back too.

Shine came down just as Muramasa and ProtoMan returned from the Net.

"So, what is it this time?" Muramasa asked calmly.

"A drill company," Chaud said.

"Uh-huh," the girl said with a nod.

'Hmmm… why do I get the feeling this is going to get tough?'

--

After showing their ID's, the two whiteheads made their way into the large factory, where everyone was quite busy, probably preparing for the test run that afternoon. The two were walking across a special bridge placed high above the people below. You could see anything from their position. 

"Ugh! What's that smell?" Shine asked, pinching her nose shut, making her voice sound a little squeaky.

"That's the amount of oil and gas they use here. They've got a lot of machines here, and they have to run too, you know," Chaud said calmly.

"I know that!" Shine said. "But can't they use air-fresheners or something?!"

Chaud groaned softly, while Muramasa simply shook her head and ProtoMan sighed.

After Shine finally got used to the smell, they began to walk around, examining all computers for viruses, but finding everything clean. They also questioned a few of the people working there, who gladly answered all their questions, safe for a few who, apparently, didn't quite like their jobs.

--

"Whadaya mean 'have I seen somethin' peculiar'?!" a quite bulky man asked, glaring at the smaller boy.

Chaud wasn't intimidated, and said, keeping his cool: "That, would be none of your business. Just answer the question, and I'll let you get back to work."

The man growled, black eyes sparking with rage, but he answered anyway.

"No. Nothin'. Ye satisfied!?"

"Not yet," Chaud said. "You're sure that all machines are in order? We don't want anything to happen on the test run, do we?"

"They're all fine! Now scram befere I beat ya ta a pulp!"

Chaud scoffed, but let the man get back to work.

"Chaud!" Shine's voice shouted above the sound of the machinery.

He looked over, only to see Shine waving at him to come over. With a simple nod, he started walking toward her.

"Check this out!" Shine said, once Chaud was standing beside her, and turned to a blueprint in front of her. "This factory's made atop a volcano that's died quite some decades ago. I had Muramasa do some research on it."

Muramasa nodded and said: "That gigantic drill they have is aimed straight at where the neck of the volcano had been. And it has the capability to reach the magmaflow below it within an hour. And if they reach that, it's goodbye Den City. Because this was one heck of a volcano!"

"That, spells trouble," Proto said softly.

"Normally, I'd say it spells an organization's name, but it just occurred to me that we don't even know the name of that organization," Shine said.

"_If_, something's going to happen here, I suspect it's going to be an inside-job," Chaud said calmly.

"Aha, one of the employees. But who?"

"We'll just have to wait and see."

"Makes sense."

--

And they did, keeping a close eye on all employees, estimating about twelve PETs amongst them, meaning that it was getting easier. Still, all of them seemed to be doing their jobs properly. They weren't messing anything up.

But the two kids knew that looks could be deceiving.

"Hora, aren't we forgetting something?" Muramasa suddenly asked.

Shine blinked, pulling out her PET.

"What do you mean, Muramasa?" she asked.

"I don't know, but I've got the feeling we're forgetting something… something important…"

"What could we have missed?" Proto asked. "We checked every machine here, so which could we be forgetting?"

Muramasa frowned and raked a hand through her upright strands of hair.

"If I knew, I'd tell. But I don't, and that's the problem!"

Chaud thought for a moment, then said: "Let's split up. The test run is in half an hour. Meet me here in 25 minutes."

"Okay," Shine said, and the two kids each went their own way.

--

"Hey, was this door here before??" Shine asked, as she stopped in front of a pretty strong looking door.

"Probably," Muramasa said. "But we must've missed it."

"Aha! So _this_ is what we missed! How about we check it out? It might contain the infected machines."

"Ii ten."

Shine slid her ID through the slot, and went inside. She stopped after the door slid shut behind her, staring up at the large contraption in front of her.

"Homina homina homina!!"

"Chikuso… talk about BIG tools!!"

That it was. It was absolutely gigantic! The room was 50 feet high, and the drill almost reached the ceiling already. And it was also stuck in the ground for a large part. It was a piercing red and silver, shining brightly in the artificial light.

"This must've taken a lot, and I mean, _A LOT_, of time to make," Shine mumbled, walking up and touching the smooth, cold metal of the drill with the flat of her palm.

"Kala…" was the only word Muramasa could utter at the sight.

The machines all around were bleeping madly, showing schematics that neither of them would be able to figure out. Their lights blinked on and off, which was reflected on the surface of the drill.

"Hey, hey! I can see myself on this thing!!" Shine said, smiling brightly.

"Shine, how 'bout we check if this thing's infected?" Muramasa finally suggested.

"Okay."

--

Muramasa arrived inside the drill within a few seconds.

"Oh… WOW!!!" Muramasa exclaimed. "Just look at this place!!"

The inside was bleeping and blinking with thousands of lights, screens were flashing everywhere, and the tiles were so smooth, you could slide over them easily.

"Any viruses?" Shine asked.

"Give me a few seconds and I'll---"

Suddenly, the connection was broken!

"Shine??" Muramasa questioned.

No response.

"I've got a bad feeling about this."

Muramasa pulled out a timer she'd set for when the drill would launch. She had ten more minutes until launch, and five to get back to Chaud.

"Shine!!!" she hollered.

Again, no response.

"Oh kusotare! I need to contact Chaud and Proto!" she mumbled and tried to get in touch, but failed. "Just my luck!!"

--

"You checked everything?" Chaud asked.

"Yes, sir," Proto Man said.

"Good, then let's head back. Nothing we can do now," Chaud said.

"Yes, sir!" Proto said with a salute.

Chaud calmly walked back, hands in his pockets, thinking about where the infection could be. He wasn't quite sure, but he hoped Shine and Muramasa had more luck.

But when he came to where they were supposed to meet…

"That's odd… they're not here," Chaud mumbled.

"Maybe they got lost," Proto said.

"Maybe… let's go find them!"

"Right."

--

"I've got two more minutes… shimatta! What am I going to do?!!?" Muramasa asked no one in particular.

But the silence was getting to her. 

A sudden sound made her look up, and she noticed something crash down as a blast of lightning.

"Nani???"

--

Chaud kept on walking, when he suddenly heard something. Or… he thought he heard something. 

"Proto, did you hear something?" he asked.

"I… think so… I'm not sure."

Just then--

"Mmphh, mmph!!!"

"It's coming from that closet over there!!" Proto said.

Chaud quickly rushed over to the door, and tried to open it, only to find it locked. 

"Darn! Looks like I'm going to have to do this Muramasa's way!" he mumbled.

"Sir??" Proto asked, not understanding what his Operator meant.

The whitehead took a few steps back, glared at the door, before kicking it down!! The door crashed into the ground loudly, having been knocked off its hinges.

"Whoa! That's effective!!"

"And a lot easier than keys."

Chaud walked into the room, and looked around, before he spotted a head of white hair. 

The younger whitehead looked up as she heard the door collide with the ground, looking rather confused. Her hands were behind her back, most likely tied together, her feet were tied together as well, and her mouth was covered with tape.

Chaud rushed over and helped the girl sit up.

"The hell happened, Shine?!" he demanded, before ripping the tape from her mouth.

"ITAI!!! Chaud!! That hurt!!!" Shine shouted as Chaud untied her. "He's after the drill itself! He was waiting for the very last moment to jack in his Navi but he caught me when I jacked Muramasa in to see if it was infected. He dragged me out, took my PET, and tied me up here!!"

"Damnit!!" Chaud hissed. "C'mon! We have to stop the launch! Now!!"

"Right! Oh KUSO!!!" Shine suddenly cursed, slapping her forehead.

"What?!" Proto asked, confused.

"I never jacked Muramasa out of the drill's network!!"

--

Muramasa was having her own difficulties. She'd seen a lot of viruses in her life, but these motherfuckers were brand-new, and deadly! They reminded her of the enemies she had seen in the intro stage of MMX2, such as those strange little robots with screwdrivers for noses.

"KYAAA!!!" Muramasa screamed as one of the viruses embedded its sharp nose in her leg, which she kicked away hurriedly.

Cyberblood was pouring from the rather deep wound, and it stung like crazy, but Muramasa didn't have the time to tend to it. She ducked out of the way of some sort of bat-like virus, and quickly fried it with her Buster.

"Shi-shimatta!" she cursed angrily, as she continued to bust all the viruses she saw in her way.

The drill had already been launched, and there was no going back. Muramasa continued through the drill's network, dealing with all the viruses she encountered. She had to shut the drill down! Because the drill was taken over from the inside, the controls on the machines outside the drill couldn't do a thing. The only way to fix the problem, was to stop the drill itself!

"Kuso, kuso, kuso, KUSO!!!" Muramasa kept on cursing as a virus banged against the armplate just below her shoulder. 

She was losing more and more blood, and she was weakening with every second, but she refused to give up. There was no way in hell that she would EVER give up!!

--

"What?! The drill's infected?!!?"

"Yes sir," Shine said. "And whoever did it, stole my PET as well!! But you MUST stop the drill!!"

"If you keep drilling at this rate, you'll kill us all!!" Chaud said, voicing the younger whitehead's thoughts.

All employees looked at each other in shock, safe for one. No one noticed, safe for Shine.

"That's him!!!" Shine shouted, pointing at him. 

Chaud looked at her and asked: "How do you know??"

"One; he's not shocked. Two; he looks suspicious. And three; that's MY PET he's got on his belt!!!" she screamed, ripping off the familiar black and gray PET from the guy's belt.

The PET was empty though, and Chaud knew that Muramasa was still in the drill.

Angered, all employees turned to the man, who blanched and tried to run off, but was stopped by a certain pair of whiteheads.

Shine had kicked him straight to the ground, and Chaud handcuffed him easily.

"That'll hold him for now, but now what??" Chaud asked.

"I wish I knew… I just hope Muramasa's alright."

--

"You're the one behind this?!!?" Muramasa demanded of the Navi standing before her.

"So wha'f I am? Eh? Wha'cha gonna do 'bout it?" the smirking Navi asked.

The Navi was a furious red and silver, and had two large drills where his hands were supposed to be. He had a third drill on his head, and his face was a little squared, though not freakishly so. All in all, he didn't look bad with exception of those drills.

Muramasa snorted, trying not to choke on blood that had come into her mouth, and said: "Alright handy---"

"'Ey!" the Navi interrupted angrily. "Jus' 'cause I dun've 'ands dun mean I can't kick yer arse!"

Muramasa blinked in confusion, then asked: "What's with the accent? Did they forget to fix your speech?"

"Ah, drill ya!!!" the Navi said.

Silence, with Muramasa staring at him oddly.

"Uh… I ain't allowed ta screw…" the Navi clarified, rubbing the back of his neck (as best as he could without hurting himself).

Muramasa was silent for a while, then said: "And here I though I saw the weirdest of Navis already!"

"Grrrr!! I'll get ya fer tha one!! No one messes with DrillMan and ge's 'way with't!!"

"We'll see about that!!!" Muramasa screamed and fired a bolt of plasma at DrillMan.

DrillMan engaged his right drill, and aimed it straight at the plasmabolt. The bolt of plasma burst apart into harmless sparks on impact.

Muramasa gasped in horror. Her Buster was her main-weapon, and if that had little effect, she'd have to fight like she always did, but with this guy, she'd rather not.

So, to put it plainly, she was screwed.

--

Jumping out of the way, Muramasa managed to fully charge both her Busters, and sent the large bolt of plasma at DrillMan. The red and silver Navi gave a yelp as the blast hit, but it only scorched his armor.

"I'm gonna getya fer tha one!!" he hissed angrily.

Muramasa thought quickly right before she had to jump aside to avoid another flurry of stabs from the other Navi. Stabs she'd rather avoid. She couldn't dodge them all though, being already weakened from the viruses she'd fought. 

A scream tore from her throat as DrillMan hit her right thigh, before he kicked her against the already weakened thigh. Muramasa rolled to a stop, before jumping up, firing another charged bolt. It missed by a mile.

"Kuso…" Muramasa cursed around a mouthful of blood.

Something suddenly waved into view, and when she looked over, she realized it was her tail. It clicked in her mind and she smirked, turning to face DrillMan again.

She quickly dashed at him, and DrillMan lashed out again, but Muramasa jumped up, flipped over him, and managed to grab his neck with her tail.

"GAACK!!!" DrillMan cried out as her tail slowly began to choke him.

"I'm not through with you yet!!" Muramasa hissed, bent through her knees, and catapulted herself into the air, taking the unfortunate DrillMan with her.

"'EY PUMME DOWN RIGH' NOW!!" DrillMan screamed.

Muramasa smirked, and DrillMan blanched.

"No! No NO NO NO!! NOT LIKE THAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!"

Too late.

Muramasa started flipping forward quite a few times, spinning around violently as she reached the peak of her jump, which was quite high for one Navi. Finally, she spun around one last time, and flung DrillMan from her grasp and to the ground, who went down screaming. Muramasa then shot after him, using the aerodynamics of her armor to make her drop faster than DrillMan. When she reached the Navi, she flipped again, and kicked DrillMan into his spine harshly, sending both of them to the ground with deadly speed.

When they collided, Muramasa had already jumped away, and was smirking silently in victory.

But DrillMan wasn't finished yet.

"Oh KUSO!!!" Muramasa cursed as DrillMan got back up.

"Ye're gonna pay fer tha!! I won' le' anyone, especially ye, mess with ZAHLER!!!"

"Zahler??? That's the name of the new organization??" Muramasa mused silently.

DrillMan screamed and rushed at her, and before Muramasa could respond----

"KYAAAAA!!!!"

Muramasa screamed in agony, managing to kick DrillMan aside, and pushed the balls of her thumbs in her eyes, screaming in absolute pain. Blood began to pour down her arms and face, and she finally removed her hands.

She could feel the pain, feel the blood trickling down her face and arms, taste it on her tongue, feel it slide down her throat… but couldn't see it…

--

"You should be able to jack in now!" one of the men said, and Chaud nodded.

"Alright," Chaud said, and jacked in quickly.

"I'm off!!" Proto said, and was off.

--

He was instantly transported to the control panel.

"Okay, here goes nothing!" Proto murmured, and turned of the panel.

It whirred, hissed, clunked… and stopped.

"It stopped!" Shine's voice called out, relieved.

"Good. ProtoMan, go look for Muramasa."

"Yes, sir!" Proto said, and was about to leave, when he heard a scream.

One that was quite familiar.

"Oh shit!!"

The red Navi instantly dashed off, and was quite shocked at what he saw.

--

Muramasa fell to the ground, having received another stab to her arm, which was now furiously bleeding gallons of cyberblood.

"Shi…mat…ta…" Muramasa muttered, trying to stay awake, and pushed herself up.

That wasn't very easy though. 

"Hehehe! 'n' now!! Ya DIIIIIIIIEEEEEE!!!" DrillMan's voice screamed out from behind her.

Anger suddenly started to build inside the young Navi, and she growled in absolute anger as her eyes burned, not only with pain, but with absolute rage as well.

"IIE FAKKUDE SH'KATTA NI JIGOKU!!!" Muramasa screamed, whirled around, aimed her palm at where she heard the voice, and did something she would've never been able to do were she completely calm.

"Oh SHEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!"

DrillMan's voice died out, and Muramasa breathed in and out deeply, her chest aching from the blow she'd received there earlier, before dropping onto her back on the ground.

Tears poured from her burning eyes, trying to soothe the pain, but the salt in them only made matters worse.

"Muramasa!!" a familiar voice shouted, and Muramasa turned to where she heard the sound come from.

"Pro… to… Man…?" she asked, unable to speak normally.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Proto's voice asked, and she felt him check her body for the most serious injuries.

"I… itai…" she whimpered softly, and she knew Proto heard. 

--

Proto was confused, not at her wounds, but at the tears coming from her eyes. Her eyes were shrouded in shadows, so he couldn't see them. 

"What happened?" he asked again.

"He… he caught me by surprise… so… sonabitch crashed my… my optics…" Muramasa moaned raising her head slightly, making the red armored Navi see her eyes.

Two bleeding tears were carved on the two orbs, and the irises were completely out of focus, unable to recognize anything. 

"Oh… god…"

--

Chaud and Shine watched as the authorities took care of the man responsible for the entire mess. He was cursing all the way, and didn't seem to be stopping any time soon.

"You know, sometimes I wonder what causes people to act like that," Shine suddenly said.

"Most times… it's a lot of things. Hate, anger, lust for revenge…" Chaud said, though a response hadn't been necessary.

"I know… but… what good will it do them? Don't they realize that they're hurting people by doing that?"

"They do… it's just that they don't care anymore."

"How come?"

"Once you're buried up to your neck in your own hatred, you stop caring about everything around you. You could even hurt everyone you love and not give a damn."

"………………"

"What's wrong?"

"………………Nothing…"

"………Let's head back. I might be able to fix Muramasa up."

"Okay. Arigatou."

"You're welcome."

-- 

****

Z: That came out fast…

D. Zero: Big surprise.

Z: Shut up!

Miri-chan: Well, looks like you're completely back in the OtN-business.

Z: Yeah, but who knows for how long? Cause I sure as hell don't.

Delta: We'll just see how it works out.

D. Zero: …………(I hate that dog!!)

D. X: Hey Z! Don't forget the Sneak-Peak!

Z: I know!!!

Chibi-chan: So, who's next anyway?

Z: Next up, is ………, get it?

Miri-chan: OOOOOOOH!! I like that one!! ^_^

Chibi-chan; Who's Ragna going to face?

Z: 0_0 I dunno.

D. Zero: Why not ask the readers for an idea?

Z: Shut it, Zero. Anyway, if anyone has an idea for the next Navi, send it in and I'll see what I can do.

--

SNEAK-PEAK OF: Crystallized:

__

"Uh-huh, yeah right. In any case, did you make all that crystal?"

"I did, only because I commanded to do so by my Operator." 

"Dost thou know that tha--JEZUS CHRIST!!! NOW YOU'VE GOT ME TALKING LIKE YOU DAMNIT!!!" 

"………"

"Don't you know that if you crystallize the Net, the weather'll slowly be destroyed!?"

"And I am supposed to care about something as measly as that?"

"………Fine, but I'll be forced to delete you then."

"Thou couldst not harm a fair maiden such as myself."

"Maiden??? I see no maiden."


	11. Chapter IV Part 2: Crystallized

****

Okay, let's see what Mike and Razor are going to get themselves into.

------------------------------------

Pyrogirll23: Uh-huh. And her response?

maverickzero: Yep, definite "ouch".

Enigma: Oh is that it? I didn't know, because in MMBN(1), ProtoMan didn't actually need Chaud to give him chips to fight. Or that's what they said.

Sol Sabre: Now I have. I asked a friend if he had the roms, and he sent them to me. But egad, can Chaud's dad be a jerk or what!? And yeah, Enigma already did. Thanks for the cookies by the way! ^_^ 

Renegade: Most likely.

Armegeddon Blade: o_0???

Song: Sorry. Didn't know that. And I already had Zero choose because it was taking too long. But I'll be sure to use him in Ragna's next fight.

Trinity: Well, it's not rated PG-13 for nothing. And besides, it's mostly about those guys (and girls).

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter IV Part 2: Crystallized

"So, what are we going to do now?"

"I have no idea. Did the Center send an email?"

"No, I would've told you if they had. But I'm worried. Those guys are keeping awfully quiet."

"Yeah, I know. They just want us to enjoy the peace for now, and then they'll strike once we don't expect it."

"My thoughts exactly."

--

Mike calmly walked through ACDC Park, not really feeling like doing anything else. Like he'd said, those guys were keeping awfully quiet, and he didn't like that. In the games, everything happened in the very next scene, which always took less than a few seconds. This waiting was taking forever, and it was starting to bore him.

He really didn't like long waits, but then again, it felt nice to be able to relax for awhile, instead of constantly rushing off to fight other Navis. That would begin to bore too after a while. 

Still, Mike needed something to do, and quick or he'd go even more crazy than he already was.

"We could go to an arcade," Razor offered.

"Nah, I don't feel like taking on those rookies," Mike said, walking over to the swings. 

The boy sat down on one of the swings for a moment, and stared straight ahead, his hands holding on to the chains beside him. He took a deep breath, and breathed out through his mouth, involuntarily heaving a sigh in the process.

His feet were unconsciously moving a little, making him rock back and forth on the swing slightly.

He suddenly noticed someone walking into the park, and he looked up, a little confused, but smiled when he saw who it was.

Placing two fingers in his mouth, he took a breath, and whistled, making the gray-haired boy whirl around in shock.

"Hey! It's you!!" he exclaimed, running over.

"Yep," Mike said casually. 

The boy's hair was curved upwards at the sides of face, and his face held an air of innocence, reminding Mike a little of Shine. The boy had light green eyes, which shimmered faintly in the sunlight.

"Have a seat!" Mike said, motioning toward one of the swings.

The boy shrugged and sat down on one of them.

"What're you doing?" he asked.

"Nothing at the moment," Mike said, starting to push himself back with his feet. "You?"

"Just… out for a walk," the boy said.

"Ah," Mike said, pushing back further, until he only touched the ground with his toes. "I'm Mike, by the way. What's your name?"

"Shun," the boy said softly.

"Quite the unusual name," Mike said. "Unlike my own."

With that said, Mike pushed off of the ground, and started swinging, his ponytail waving in the wind. Shun watched this for a moment, before starting to push off as well, though a little slower than Mike.

"So, what have you been doing?" Mike asked, looking at the other boy, still swinging.

"Not much," Shun said, slowly gaining more altitude and speed. "Just loafing around."

Mike blinked and said: "Sounds boring."

"To you maybe," Shun said.

"Probably, I don't really like doing nothing, so it's probably not strange I don't like to loaf."

"Well, what did you do?"

"Busting viruses with Razor, mostly."

"With who??"

"Me," Razor said, making his presence known.

Mike smirked, and, once he reached the death peak, jumped off the swing, landing rather roughly, though he managed to keep balance by bending through his knees. Shun simply skidded with his feet over the ground to stop, and walked over to Mike, who had gotten up and was dusting himself off.

Mike then pulled out his PET, and showed it to Shun, who watched it with interest.

"Hey there," Razor said, smiling and nodding at Shun.

"Hi," Shun said politely.

"Razor's been my Navi for as long as I can remember," Mike said. "Though he's been updated quite a few times, he's still the same as he's always been. Meaning he's a freaking daredevil."

"And I'm damned proud of it!!!" Razor said, smirking and punching up his fist like MegaMan always did in the games.

Shun smiled a little.

"Don't you have a Navi?" Mike asked, and immediately mentally kicked himself.

"…………No," Shun said sadly.

"Sorry," Mike said.

Razor thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers with a smile.

"Mike, why don't we go to the SciLabs and get Shun his own Navi? I mean, the SciLabs is where the Navis came from in the first place!"

Mike smiled broadly, then turned to Shun, who looked a little shocked.

"Well? You coming with?" Mike asked.

"Uh… yeah, sure…"

--

"Well, at least you've got your own Navi now," Mike said, looking along with Shun at the basic Navi shown on Shun's new PET's display.

"I know," Shun said, still happy with what he had.

"You can find an experienced programmer and upgrade it to your personal likes," Mike said, watching as Shun continued to check out all functions on his PET.

"No thanks," Shun said, smiling at Mike, before turning back to his PET.

Mike smiled, knowing that Shun was most likely going to alter it himself.

"Yo Mike!" Razor suddenly said as Mike's PET started bleeping.

Mike pulled out his PET and opened his mailbox.

"Hey, hey! It's from Muramasa!" Mike said enthusiastically, quickly opening the email.

Shun looked a little confused, and read along over Mike's shoulder.

--

__

From: Shine Goldlane

Subject: "Drill troubles"

Message: "Konnichiwa hentai, bushhead. I don't know if you heard about that new drilling company, but we suspect that those guys of that new NetCrime group are up to no good. This's because the company has the largest drill ever made, and if those guys let this slip, they must be real bakas. Getting in won't be a problem, seeing as we're Officials. Oh, right, I completely forgot to mention that when bushhead "banged" into me. I'm an Official NetNavi now, and that really comes in handy right now. I'll let you know how it turned out. Catch ya later!

Muramasa.EXE"

--

"Hahaha, I should've known," Mike said, holding a hand to his head. "I knew she'd be a perfect Official one day!"

"Who's Muramasa?" Shun asked, confused.

"She's a friend of mine," Razor said, smiling. "She's a little touchy on some subjects, but once you get to know her, she's the best friend you can imagine!"

"Too true," Mike said, leaning back against the bench.

"Yeah, but when I first fought her, she almost deleted me!" Razor said. "I'll give you one piece of advice; don't fight her with that basic Navi you got right now. You'll be deleted before you can say 'yipes'."

Shun nodded, impressed.

--

"Well, this's my stop," Mike said, getting off of the bus.

"See ya some other time!" Shun called out.

"Count on it!" Mike and Razor called out at the same time, as the bus rode off.

The duo watched the bus ride off, before heading back to the hotel.

"Nice guy really," Mike said, smiling.

"Got that right!" Razor said. "I can't wait to see what kind of Navi he'll make from that basic Navi."

"That makes two of us," Mike said. "But we should try to find out something about that new NetCrime Organization."

"I know, but can't that wait for later? I don't really feel like heading to the Net right now."

"Okay, we'll wait for a while," Mike said calmly.

"Good."

--

Mike was leaning on the balcony railing of his room, just staring at the city sprawled out before him. The view was quite luxurious, but Mike was miles away from the wondrous city. Other things were clouding his mind, such as those revived Navis. It wouldn't leave him alone.

He was starting to wonder if Shun might be able to help, but he wasn't all that sure. In any case, it would probably be best if they figured out what they had to do, but like everyone else, he was completely clueless.

"Man, what are we going to do?" Mike mumbled. 

"I wish I knew, but I'm drawing a blank as well," Razor said with a sigh.

Mike gave a sigh as well and leaned on his arms, staring at the city with a bored look. 

Silence reigned for quite some time, as both Operator and Navi had no clue as to what to say. That, and they were completely lost in thought, thinking aimlessly about the events taking place.

They remained silent for some time, unsure of what to do or say.

Something suddenly caught Mike's eye, and he quickly turned toward it, only to see that he was a millisecond too late. Whatever it'd been, it was gone now. 

Mike shrugged his shoulders and looked straight ahead again. 

He sighed again, and straightened up, heading out the room, saying: "I'm getting hungry. I'm getting something to eat!"

"And I need a serious recharge!!" Razor piped up.

--

Mike sat in his room, quietly munching on a chocolate chip cookie, crunching it slowly between his teeth. He continued to munch until it was nearly flavorless, before swallowing and taking another small bite.

"I'm bored outta my skull," Razor mumbled, taking a reasonable sip from his energy.

"That makes two of us," Mike said, quite bored himself.

Mike finished the cookie, and pulled out another. Being allergic to sugar, there were few kinds of candy he was allowed to have. He didn't bother too much though. Instead, he was a chocolate addict. He hardly ate sweets, but once it came to chocolate, he couldn't keep his hands off them. 

Which had been the reason he snatched a whole batch of chocolate chip cookies from the restaurant.

"Any news from Muramasa yet?" Mike asked finally.

"No, sadly enough---huh??" Razor said, blinked.

"What??"

"Nothing… nothing," Razor mumbled, taking a hasty swig from his drink. "Just… just had a funny feeling, that's all."

"You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Mike shrugged, knowing Razor would tell him later if it was important, and took another bite from a cookie.

"We should check the Net for that new NetCrime gang," Mike suddenly said.

"You're right," Razor said, tossing his now empty can over his shoulder in the trashcan. "That's better than hanging around here."

--

Razor jacked in on the Net and started the small trek to the Square, going at a steady pace. He wasn't really in a hurry, but he still jogged the whole way. It would take less time, and he wasn't planning to walk anyway.

After a while though…

"WAH!!!!" Razor cried out as he suddenly slipped and tumbled back onto his rear!

Razor gritted his teeth rubbing his sore bottom, glaring at whatever had made him slip. When he found it, he was left staring.

"What the… fuck???" he wondered, sitting up on his knees and moving a hand across the ground, having it squeak a little.

He stared down at his reflection in the now smooth and clear ground. He gave it a good tap with his knuckles, finding it quite solid. 

Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, he slowly got up, not wanting to risk falling again. As he looked around, he took notice of quite a large portion of the Net that was in similar condition.

"Yo, Mike! You getting this?" he asked calmly.

"Yeah, I'm seeing it," Mike said, a tinge of amusement to his voice.

"Not. A. Word," Razor hissed, already knowing what it was about.

"I didn't say anything," Mike said, chuckling.

"Shut it, Michael Necros!!" Razor hissed, and Mike instantly shut up.

If Razor was pissed off enough to say his full name, he shouldn't be angered any further. It was hard to get Razor pissed off, but once he was, he should be avoided at all costs. 

The blue and green Navi finally stopped glowering and took a little more time to look around. 

"What the?? It's walking in a line!!"

Mike blinked, until he noticed it himself. 

"You're right!" he said calmly. "Let's see where it takes us!"

"Agreed."

Razor easily started his track down the path of strange… crystal, he decided to call it for now, until he knew what it was. He did walk _beside_ it though. The original reason for going to the Net had been completely forgotten by both Operator and Navi, as they were both engrossed in the strange track.

Suddenly---

"GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU STUPID VIRUSES!!!" a voice shouted just up ahead, surprising Razor.

"The hell??" he wondered aloud, before rushing over.

What he saw there, was a girl Navi under attack by a batch of viruses that he'd never seen before. They reminded him of large crystal snails with legs and arms, and missing the head, but he dropped it for the moment. The Navi seemed to have a lot of trouble with those viruses, so why not help out?

--

The young girl growled as the viruses came closer, holding her Buster tightly in her other hand. She'd lost her whip some time ago, so she'd lost her main-weapon. She wasn't very good with her Buster, seeing as she was specialized with her whip. 

"Now what am I going to do??" she asked quietly, blasting at the snails, only to have it bounce off. "Uh oh…"

Suddenly, one of the snails jumped at her, and she stumbled back in fright. But she slipped on part of the strange crystal, and fell to the ground. She looked up, and cried in fright as the snail was nearly on top of her.

A sudden blur of blue and green whooshed past, along with two streaks of blood red, and the snail screeched, before the two separate halves dissolved into blue cubes. The girl looked up in confusion, and noticed a Navi standing in front of her, two blood red blades coming from his gloves.

Razor glared at the viruses, but an evil smirk was forming on his face, something he picked up while hanging around Ray/Muramasa. The viruses seemed pissed at the deletion of their mate, and raced at him with speed that seemed impossible for them.

The sword-wielding Navi screamed, and ran at them, lashing the viruses apart as he ran past them. The girl could only stare as the Navi lashed out viciously at the viruses he encountered, cutting through them like they were made of paper. Even as the viruses started to scatter, he chased after them, deleting every single one of them. 

Once he made sure they were all deleted, he walked back to the girl, withdrawing his blades.

"Hey? You okay there?" he asked, extending a hand to help her up.

The girl blinked, then shot up, and threw herself at the other Navi, embracing his neck tightly, catching him completely by surprise and causing them both to fall back to the ground.

"Oh thank you thank you thank you!!!"

"Okay! I get the picture!!" he said, prying the girl's arms loose from his neck. "You're welcome!"

Once they stood up, Razor studied the girl a little more carefully.

She had waist-length brown hair which was tied atop her head, coming out of the top of her helmet, and deep brown, nearly black eyes. She wore black spandex and a navy blue armor, and her gloves came up to her elbows. She had her Navi-Symbol on the center of her chest and the front of her helmet.

"You should be more careful. Next time, I might not be around to help," Razor said calmly, as the girl picked up something from the ground.

"Yeah, I know. They just caught me off guard," the girl said, smiling at Razor.

Razor nodded and looked at the path of crystal, noting it wasn't stopping, and still going on.

"I should be going, bye!" Razor said, and ran off, leaving the girl behind.

"Hey wait!!! I didn't even get your name!!!" she shouted after him, but he didn't answer.

She sighed a little, and said: "Man, he must be in a hurry."

"Tsuchi! You okay?!" the voice of her Operator suddenly said. "You had me worried!!"

"Yeah, Sara, I'm fine," she said. "Sorry about that."

"Who was that NetNavi anyway?" Sara asked.

"Uh… he was a NetNavi?? I thought he was just an ordinary Navi!"

"I saw him and his Operator train once, they're pretty good."

"Oh."

"Don't tell me you didn't know? It was easy to tell they were Officials!!"

"Yeah, like I knew that?!"

--

Razor continued on, running past the strange stream, killing every virus that dared to challenge him. He really wasn't in the mood for any viruses. He just continued to run, his blades out again. Anger was plain and visible on his face, though there was no such pure anger inside him. It was just a mask to make sure that he wouldn't be toyed with.

'If this is going to be a repeat of what happened in MMBN2, then I better stop this soon!' he thought angrily, and picked up the pace.

He kept on running --- until he reached the end.

"What the??" Razor exclaimed in confusion. 

Mike groaned and said: "I think we've been going the wrong way."

"Most likely," Razor mumbled, and turned to leave, when---

Razor gave a scream as something crashed into his back, sending him crashing into the ground. With a shake of his head, Razor looked up, confused. 

Standing a few feet away from him, was a Navi he'd never seen or heard off in his entire life. The Navi was female, but she seemed to wearing an armor made completely out of a crystal-like substance. She had long light-blue, almost white hair, dangling down her back in straight lines. It was nothing like Muramasa's hair, seeing as this Navi's hair waved naturally, like rolling waves on the ocean.

"The hell are you!?!?" he demanded, confused.

"Not that it be any of thine business, but mine name is Crystal.EXE, and whom might thee be?" the Navi, now labeled 'Crystal', said.

Razor sweatdropped as he got up, saying: "Medieval accent?? Give me a break!!"

Crystal huffed and said: "'Twas not mine wish to talk in this fashion, but my Operator hast given it to me, so I be glad with it."

"Uh-huh, yeah right," Razor mumbled softly. "In any case, did you make all that crystal?"

"I did, only because I was commanded to do so by my Operator," Crystal said, looking neutral.

Razor frowned angrily.

"Dost thou know that tha--JEZUS CHRIST!!! NOW YOU'VE GOT ME TALKING LIKE YOU DAMNIT!!!" Razor shouted in anger and frustration. 

Crystal chuckled politely, holding a hand in front of her mouth to hide it.

Razor growled and hissed: "Don't you know that if you crystallize the Net, the weather'll slowly be destroyed!?"

"And I am supposed to care about something as measly as that?" Crystal asked.

The blue and green Navi breathed out harshly, then said: "Fine, but I'll be forced to delete you then."

Crystal chuckled and said: "Thou couldst not harm a fair maiden such as myself."

"Maiden???" Razor asked, pretending to be confused, and looking around. "I see no maiden."

Crystal growled in anger, and sent a large bolt toward the other Navi. Razor smirked and jumped out of the way, right before the ground where he'd been crystallized completely.

"You gotta be faster than that to catch me!!" Razor taunted, and shot forward, avoiding all blasts thrown at him.

Crystal finally huffed, and her right arm suddenly shifted into a large crystal blade. She shot at him as well, and Razor lashed out with his left blade, which Crystal easily blocked. Crystal jumped over the right blade, which had been aimed at her legs. 

With a scowl, she managed to furiously kick Razor in his face, sending him back a little. Before Razor could even recover, he had to stifle a scream when he felt Crystal's blade embed in his chest, tearing across his Navi-Symbol. Unbearable pain shot through him from his Navi-Symbol, and just then, Razor understood why one shot to her Navi-Symbol had made Muramasa writhe in pain.

As he stumbled back, Razor grasped the wound on his chest, feeling the cyberblood pouring through his fingers, gritting his teeth with a hiss of combined pain and anger.

The hand that wasn't grasping onto his wound shot up to block Crystal's sword.

He growled and lashed out, but Crystal flipped over him, kicking him to the back of his head, which sent him sprawling to the ground. Razor groaned as he lifted his head, which had been scraped from the landing.

"Art thou finished yet?" Crystal asked.

Razor got up, turning around to face Crystal with a look of anger on his face.

"To speak with Muramasa's words…" Razor said.

"Iie fakkude sh'katta ni jigoku," Mike said in sync with Razor.

"In other words," Razor said, his emerald green eyes shining with anger, "No. Fucking. Way. In. Hell."

--

"Elec Sword!! Slot in!!"

--

Razor withdrew his blades and outstretched his right hand, which lit up and formed a large sword, sizzling with electricity. Crystal snorted, and the duo ran at each other, blades out and ready. When the blades met, discharges were sent in every direction, and the duo started trying to best each other, lashing out violently. 

Still, this started to annoy Razor, and he jumped back a little, before aiming the blade, and making the sword extend and shoot at Crystal, who took the hit to the shoulder of her swordarm, making her scream. When the chip lost effect, Razor smirked at the wound he had inflicted. 

"How dare thee?!" Crystal demanded, holding onto her bleeding shoulder.

"I think _I _should be asking that!" Razor growled, pulling out a Buster. "But right now, I'm too pissed off to care!!!"

And he fired.

The blast shot at Crystal with amazing speeds, but before it could even get close---

"Oh SHIT!!!" Razor cursed angrily as Crystal became encased in a large crystal barrier.

'Gimme a break! FreezeMan rip-off!!'

He placed his Buster back in its holster, pulled out his blades and was about to shoot at Crystal… only to find that his right leg wouldn't move. Razor looked down at his leg in confusion, which soon shifted into horror. 

His entire shin had been encased in crystal, completely immobilizing it. Cursing angrily, he tried to pull his leg loose, finding it impossible. His left leg was also becoming encased, and pretty soon his entire lower body was encased.

'Oh fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!! I gotta get outta here!!' Razor thought, trying to struggle free.

No use though.

He was already up to his Navi-Symbol in crystal, his arms already encased.

"Aw FU---"

He couldn't even finish.

--

"Oh shit!! RAZOR!!!" Mike cried out, but no response came.

The screen of his PET showed a large block of crystal, with Razor incased in it, face contorted in anger and shock. 

"Fuck!! What am I going to do now?!!?" Mike grumbled, searching through his folder for any kind of chips he could possibly use.

--

"Something's not right! I can feel it!!" Tsuchi mumbled, as she continued to run. 

"Stop yapping and start running!!" Sara shouted.

Tsuchi didn't bother to respond, and kept on running, following the path the strange Navi had taken earlier.

After some time though, she skidded to a halt, her jaw dropping open instantly. 

The Navi that had saved her earlier was completely incased in a giant, crystal-like barrier, and a strange female-Navi was laughing her head off at the spectacle.

"And now, thou die!" she said, raising her blade.

"Oh NO HE'S NOT!!!" Tsuchi screamed, pulling out a long energy-whip, and lashing out at the other Navi.

The whip latched onto the sword, and Tsuchi gave the whip a sharp pull, making the Navi fly at her. As the Navi came closer, Tsuchi whirled around and delivered a furious roundhouse kick to the white and blue Navi her jaw, sending her to the ground.

With a smirk, Tsuchi lashed out again with her whip, having it collide with Crystal's face, making her roll about for a while. Crystal finally leapt back up, and growled in anger.

"I dost not know whom thee are, but thou art going to regret doing that," she hissed.

"Yeah, right, bye-bye!!" Tsuchi said, lashing out again.

But Crystal saw it coming and grabbed her whip in her hand. Instantly, Tsuchi started to panic.

"Uh oh…"

With a yelp, Tsuchi was flung over Crystal, and she landed rather harshly on her back. The brown-haired Navi frowned in anger, glaring at Crystal while she was lying upside down. She jumped up, and shot at the other Navi.

Crystal yelled in anger and lashed out with her blade, but Tsuchi, jumped, managed to grab a hold of Crystal's shoulders, and stood in a handstand on her shoulders. Quickly, before Crystal could respond, Tsuchi finished the flip, landing behind Crystal, and flung her straight ahead.

--

"Shotgun!! Slot in!!"

--

Tsuchi's left hand shifted into a cannon, and she aimed it at Crystal, who was trying to get up. She easily fired the blast, which split up into multiple blasts, hitting Crystal head-on. The blast hardly singed her armor.

"Oh… shit!" Sara and Tsuchi mumbled at the same time.

Before Tsuchi could blink, she was knocked back, landing on her back with a loud thud. Shaking her head, she sat up, only to lie back down when a sword was aimed at the tip of her nose. Tsuchi looked up and saw the enraged look on Crystal's face, causing her to gulp.

"That had been a bad move," Crystal hissed, and pulled back her sword to strike--

With a loud, ear-splitting crack, the sword snapped in half, much to Crystal and Tsuchi's surprise. Crystal glanced over, and her eyes widened as she saw that Razor was now free, completely healed, and rather pissed off.

"No, it was a bad move to lock me up in a crystal!!" Razor screamed, pulling out his blades with a look of fury on his face.

He raised the blades, forming a cross on his chest, and lashed downward in an X-motion, creating a large shockwave, which was hurled at Crystal before she could blink.

Crystal screamed as the blast hit, dividing her body in four, before she dissolved into blue particles.

--

"You alright?" Tsuchi asked, walking over.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, nothing serious," Razor said calmly. "Didn't catch your name by the way. What'd you say it was?"

"Tsuchi!"

"Uh-huh, I'm Razor."

"Pleasure to meet you!"

"Likewise. Anyway, I should be going. I might see you again, but _try_ to stay out of trouble, okay?" Razor asked skeptically, before logging out.

"HEY!!!"

--

"Hey Mike, thanks a lot, you saved my hide back there!" Razor said, smiling.

"Don't mention it," Mike said, flashing his Navi the victory-sign. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Exactly! Hey whoa!! Mail's here!!"

"Finally!!" Mike said.

--

__

From: Shine Goldlane

Subject: "Drill troubles - FIXED"

Message: "Hi guys! It's been awhile! Muramasa said she installed your email address in my PET, so I decided to mail you about what happened at that drilling company. Well, it's not something I'd like to think back to. Those guys were there alright, but I got tied up and thrown in a broom closet when Muramasa and I were examining the drill itself. Worst about it, was that Muramasa was still on the drill when it was launched, so she'd been forced to fight those viruses without my help, as well as that Navi that was there. She said it was a guy with drills on his head and hands. Chaud's now fixing Muramasa up. Oh, right, she never told you, huh? We're staying with Chaud for awhile until we can find something else. Don't worry, we'll be fine. I hope to see you guys soon. Oh! Almost forgot. Muramasa said those guys called themselves "Zahler".

Ja ne

Shine"

--

Silence reigned for awhile, before Razor said: "Say what?? I thought Muramasa hated Chaud!"

"She does…" Mike said. "But Shine can't hate anybody, you know that."

"Uh-huh, true. But I hope Muramasa's alright."

"So do I, Razor. Should we tell her what we encountered?" Mike asked.

"Let's," Razor said.

Mike nodded and started typing.

--

__

To: Shine Goldlane

Subject: "Re: Drill troubles - FIXED" a.k.a. "Our encounter"

Message: "Hey Shine. You two better be alright. Tell Chaud that if he hurts you, he'll have to deal with Razor and me. I hope Muramasa wasn't too badly injured. Anyway, Razor and I also had an encounter with this "Zahler" group. Some Navi thought she could crystallize the Net, but we stopped her. I'll let you know if we have more info okay? See ya.

Mike & Razor.EXE"

--

"There!" Razor said, sending the message to Shine.

"Let's hope nothing unexpected happens."

"You kidding?! That makes this life oh so more appealing!"

"Razor, quit being such a daredevil!"

"That's like asking you to stop being crazy."

"HEY!!!"

-- 

****

D. Zero: Well, not everyone seems to read what we have to say.

Z: You're telling me.

D. X: So… who's next?

Z: Uh… [skims all Robot Masters] … damn… all the good ones have already been taken.

D. Zero: That sucks.

D. X: By the way, who's Tsuchi??

Chibi-chan: Me!! ^_^ Z asked how I would be as a Navi, and here I am!!

D. X: 0_0 She actually gets a part in this story!?

D. Zero: Hey, chill X, [pats D. X's back] we're in this too. Right Z? :|

Z: o_0 Zero, you know I'm not letting you be controlled by anyone but X, and vice-versa, remember?

D. Zero: So we're both in? :)

D. X: Really? [hopeful]

Z: Well, DUH!!

D. Zero & D. X: ^___^

Miri-chan: Who's next?

Z: ……… you just gotta ruin the mood huh?

Miri-chan: But who's neeeeeext!!!

D. Zero: Hey, stop whining!

Miri-chan: I don't whine! I pout, but I don't whine!

D. X: o_0 And the difference is??

Z: Alright guys! Shut it! Zero! Pick somebody! [pushes sheet of paper in D. Zero's face]

D. Zero: 'Ey! [studies pamphlet] What're those with a cross through them?

Z: Those were already used.

D. Zero: Ah. [looks again] Uh… this guy here! He looks pretty tough!

Z: Who?? [looks too] Aha! Okay! Let's! It's not a Robot Master, but it'll do.

D. X: Who'd you pick??

Z: Let's wait with revealing _that_ in the next chapter, okay?

D. X: Okay.

Z: But first! I'm going into the pool! Egad! Is it hot!! [leaves for the pool]

D. Zero: Hey! Wait for us!! [runs after Zeal]

--

SNEAK-PEAK OF: Fight of the Javelins

__

"Hmph. I had actually hoped for that 'MegaMan' to respond to my request, but you'll have to do."

"You're the one who posted that request!?"

"Quite. I am ………, the first of Dr. Wily's MegaMan Killer Navis. Though the information won't do you any good."

"WILY?!?! Isn't he supposed to be in jail?!"

"Bah, I was released onto the Net mere hours before the great Alpha project. If it were to fail, I was to get rid of that 'infamous' blue Navi." 

"Well… why wait for so long??" 

"Oh shut up and die."


	12. Chapter IV Part 3: Fight Of The Javelins

****

Alright, let's see what Ragna and Jinn did. And by the way, I need a name and appearance for Shun's Navi. Got any ideas? Send 'em in and maybe it'll be used next time Shun makes his appearance.

------------------------------------

Renegade Hunter: Song's not going to like that.

TJ and Rikumon: [chuckle] Do you two always argue?

Song: (Z: "Well, looks like you've already got one fan!" Chibi-chan: "^_^ Yay!!")

Armegeddon Blade: Well why didn't you say so?!

Scrambler: Aha. Yeah, but I finished the game within 10 hours, so I should know by now.

Enigma: Oh now I get it! Yeah, I figured as much. But honestly, was Cossack Bass' Operator or his creator?? (or both??)

Sol Sabre: I know. I somehow always make Muramasa's chapters the best there are, or I'm mistaking. o_0 And…ZERO!! GIVE THAT BACK!!! (D. Zero: "Forget it! See ya!! [runs off]" Z: ":( When I get my hands on that guy!! [runs after]")

Pyrogirll23: Sorry girls, I never received an email from you. But anyway, I'm afraid Lan and Mega are already taken. Sorry.

Red Chaos Mage: Well duh, otherwise people would get confused if I scramble up the pattern.

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter IV Part 3: Fight Of The Javelins

"Morning."

"G'morning."

"Any new messages?"

"Nothing at the moment."

"Darn. I need something to do."

"So do I."

"Hmmm… how 'bout we try becoming Officials?"

"Suits me."

--

Jinn got out of the metro, and headed up the stairs, before emerging at the exit of the Marine Harbor Metroline. The boy was instantly greeted by the smell of salt water and different kinds of flowers. He walked toward the small garden in front of the Center, noticing that Sunflower, the old lady from MMBN2, was there, along with that old man. Jinn smiled slightly at it, and then headed for the Center. 

He was about to enter, when he noticed a familiar face emerge from the lower exit of the Center.

"Yo Lan!!" Jinn shouted, making the other boy stop and look up.

Jinn smiled and waved at him. Lan returned the favor, and hurriedly ran up the stairs. 

"Hey, Jinn! What're you doing here?" Lan asked.

"Nothing really," Jinn said. "Just thinking about doing a few requests. I'm kind of bored."

"Ah! Well, there was this _really_ strange request, and I'm suspecting that it's no good. You wanna help?"

"Sure!"

--

"What kind of request is this?" Jinn mumbled, reading it over again. "'If you can make my day, I'll give you a rare chip in return'??"

"I dunno, that's why I thought it was strange," Lan said.

"It's been awhile since we've had a strange request like this," Mega said calmly. "I think it's bizarre."

Ragna was silent for some time, calmly sitting against one of the walls of the PET. He was fiddling a little with his lance, gently spinning it between his fingers.

They were now on the metro, heading for the SciLabs, where they were supposed to meet the poster of this strange request. And while Jinn and Lan were discussing this mystery person, Mega was watching the rather thoughtful Ragna, who seemed completely lost in thought, twirling his lance between his fingers.

"Penny for your thoughts," Mega said calmly.

This startled the other Navi though, who gave a gasp in shock and whipped his head around.

"Huh?! Wha?" he mumbled, until it registered what Mega had said. "Oh. Nah it's nothing. Just thinking…"

"About what?"

"Quite a few things," Ragna said, watching his lance twirl a little. "Those resurrected Navis… what the hell is going on… and a whole lot more I'd rather not mention…"

"Uh-huh…" Mega said quietly, sitting down as well. "I just wonder who resurrected all those Navis, and why. It's like this'll never end."

"Well, those are just things that'll never end," Ragna mumbled.

"Huh? How's that?"

"There can't be light without shadow. No matter how hard you may try, there'll _always_ be a shadow somewhere. But the problem is, if the light dies, the shadow takes over, because shadows can live quite well without light," Ragna said, still mumbling.

"So, let me get this straight," Mega said, starting to understand. "The shadows represents bad guys, and the light represents the good guys?"

"That's one way to put it."

"Man, what a strange way to describe it! But effective nonetheless. How'd you think of that?"

"I didn't. It's something Jinn installed into my systems, and he got it from some sort of action-movie. I dunno which, I hadn't been created back then."

"Oh."

"So, did Lan teach you anything special?"

"Yeah. Never give up, no matter what!"

"Haha! Yeah, that's a real important rule in life. Give up, and you'll never hear the end of it. Seeing as most times, you'll be dead."

The two Navis laughed wholeheartedly about that. But Ragna's laughter was cut off by a yell of pain as he grasped his head in agony.

"Ragna?!?!" Mega asked as Ragna's lance clattered loudly to the ground, followed shortly by the Navi in question.

The Blue Bomber ran toward the Navi, and shook him a little. It didn't help though.

"Lan! Jinn!! Something's wrong with Ragna!!"

"What?!?!"

"Ragna! Ragna!! Wake up!!"

--

__

"That should do it!"

"Let's get out of here! Every second counts!"

"Right."

--

__

"How're we supposed to get there?!"

"I can fix that!"

KAZING!!!

"….!!! Whoa! Nice!!"

"Thanks."

"Hey! Let's move!

--

__

"Ugh!!"

"Aaaagh!!"

"Oh no! Not now!!"

"………"

"W-w-what're you doing here?!"

"Hey! Calm down already!"

"Listen, we don't have time to fight you! So, mind moving?"

"………"

"Oh, so we're being the silent one again, huh? What the fuck're you doing here?!"

"……Is it a crime to try to help?"

"Help!??!"

"You're… helping us…?? Why??"

"…I have my own reasons."

--

__

"What the fuck!?!?

"What is this?!"

--

__

"………D…d…d…de…de…de………"

--

"………De…de…de…del…del…del………"

--

"………Del…del…del…dele…dele…dele………"

--

"………Dele…dele…dele…delet…delet…delet………"

--

"………Delet…delet…delet…delete…delete…delete………"

--

"………Delete…delete…delete…Delete! Delete!! DELETE!!!"

--

Ragna was jolted awake the second the last echoes of the last word faded from his head. 

"Ragna!! You alright?!" Mega asked.

"…Yeah… I'll be fine," Ragna mumbled, picking up his lance from the ground and standing up rather clumsily.

"What just happened?" Lan asked.

"Nothing," Ragna said. "I probably just caught a bug or something."

Jinn didn't say anything for a moment, then said: "You should take a rest, Ragna."

"Nah, I'll be fine."

Jinn nodded solemnly.

'I hope.'

--

"Well, here we are!" Lan said, as they got out of the metro.

"The building's instantly connected with the metro???" Jinn asked.

"Yep!" Lan said.

"Well, at least the employees here never need umbrellas."

"Not funny Ragna."

--

Mega and Ragna appeared at SciLabSquare at about the same time. They walked away from the warp, and looked around.

"So, where to?" Mega asked of Lan.

"Let me see… it says here, SciLab1."

"Okay! Let's go!!"

Ragna nodded and walked after the blue Navi, heading for the warp that would lead them to SciLab2. 

SciLabSquare, unlike most Squares, was more like a lab, with computers chucked in every direction, where Navis were busy with all kinds of stuff. Some were examining the viruses that Operators had managed to capture, while others were busy with some kind of weird project. But there were also a few shops there, selling all kinds of chips and subchips. There were also quite the number of programs buzzing about, doing this or that.

"Busy place," Ragna mumbled.

"You're telling me," Mega said.

They finally reached the warp and headed out of the Square.

--

"Uh… Lan?" Mega asked suddenly as they exited the gate.

"Yeah?" Lan asked.

"The upper area or the lower area?"

Lan blinked and checked the request again.

"It doesn't say."

"How 'bout we split up then?" Jinn offered.

"Good idea," Lan said. "Mega, you check the lower area, Ragna, can you check the upper area?"

"Sure," Ragna said with a nod. 

--

Mega continued across the Net, searching for whoever had posted that odd request, but found nothing out of place. SciLab1 was quiet, with only a few Navis and programs moving about. Most Navis were also employees of the SciLabs. After some time, he realized that the Navi wasn't here.

"Jinn, did you find anything?" he heard Lan ask.

"Nothing," came Jinn's voice. "Something tells me we're being fooled."

"No kidding," Mega mumbled.

"Should I jack out then?" Ragna's voice asked.

"Yeah, sure."

"Mega, you jack out too, okay?"

"Sure Lan."

They were about to jack out, when Ragna suddenly gave a scream of pain. 

"RAGNA!!!" Jinn shouted.

Mega growled, and dashed off, heading back to the lower SciLab2, and heading for the upper SciLab1.

--

Ragna dropped to the ground, holding the gash on his right arm, which also happened to be his good arm. Dark purple cyberblood was pouring through his gloved hand, and slowly slipping across his glove, which was clearly visible even if he'd been human.

He raised his eyes, and had to choke back a gasp.

In front of him, stood a Navi with an armor drenched in oranges, blues, and blacks. His unarmored upperarms and thighs were pitch black, while his boots, armor, shoulder plates, gauntlets and helmet were a pure orange. His gloves (which only covered his hands and vanished in his gauntlets) and the noses and heels of his boots were dark blue. On his helmet, were three spikes, two of them were parallel with his ears, while the third stood upright on his head. His face seemed that of a mere teenager of 14, 15, but his height and expression would suggest 17, 18. In his right hand, he held a gigantic lance, even bigger than Ragna's, and it seemed far more lethal too.

Deep blue eyes burned with a strange gloominess as he scoffed and said with a deep voice: "Hmph. I had actually hoped for that 'MegaMan' to respond to my request, but you'll have to do."

Ragna blinked, standing up and asked: "_You're_ the one who posted that request!?"

The Navi simply said, with no emotion showing on his face: "Quite. I am Enker, the first of Dr. Wily's MegaMan Killer Navis. Though the information won't do you any good."

"WILY?!?!" Ragna demanded. "Isn't he supposed to be in jail?!"

"Bah, I was released onto the Net mere hours before the great Alpha project. If it were to fail, I was to get rid of that 'infamous' blue Navi," Enker said.

"Well… why wait for so long??" Ragna asked, trying to buy time for MegaMan to arrive.

"Oh shut up and die," Enker mumbled and shot at Ragna with his lance drawn.

Ragna anticipated the move, unsheathed his own lance (with much difficulty if I may add) and hastily blocked the swing, much to Enker's surprise.

"You fight with a javelin as well?" he asked, in that strange, gloomy way of his.

Ragna, knowing full too well what a javelin was, answered: "How great of you to notice! What took you so long to find out?!"

Enker furrowed his brows, and lashed out at Ragna's head. Ragna hurriedly ducked underneath the lash, and kicked out Enker's feet from under him.

"I'm no MegaMan, but that doesn't mean I'm a pushover!" he said, shooting out and thrusting his lance down, aiming for Enker's face.

Enker rolled out of the way with a yelp, and jumped up, holding up his lance. 

"You're good!" Enker said. "But there's one problem with your skills."

Ragna figured what was coming next, but he asked anyway: "What's that?"

Before he could do anything else, he gasped for air as pain soared through his entire body, his eyes widening at the ferocity. His eyes looked at his abdomen, where Enker's arm and lance were embedded in his body, the Navi's arm becoming drenched in dark purple almost, black cyberblood.

"I'm better," Enker said, and kicked the other Navi away, making the tall Navi crash into the ground. 

--

"Oh my God!!" Jinn exclaimed, having witnessed the entire fight. "Lan! Do you have any Recover-chips I can borrow!?"

"Hold on!" Lan said, quickly rummaging through his folder, and producing a Recover300. "Don't bother returning it! I've got plenty more!"

"Thank you, Lan!"

--

"Recover300!! Slot in!!"

--

The wound shut quickly, and Ragna shot up before Enker could get to him. 

"Hmph. That won't help you. You're as good as dead."

Ragna panicked for a short second, when he suddenly noticed something over Enker's shoulder.

Mega was hiding behind a rock, quietly charging his Buster. He made a hushing motion while winking at Ragna.

Ragna gave a miniscule nod and aimed his gaze back to Enker.

"Not really," Ragna said, completely intent on buying Mega some time. "You just caught me off guard."

"Oh really?" Enker questioned sarcastically, before he shot at the taller Navi.

Ragna jumped back to avoid a hack at the Navi-Symbol spread across his chest, and lashed out as well. Enker blocked and lashed out again. Ragna blocked, with a lot of difficulty, and continued lashing out and blocking if necessary, trying not to injure himself anymore.

Enker suddenly managed to trip Ragna, sending the Navi down to the ground.

"You die NOW!!!" Enker screamed, sending his lance down at Ragna.

--

"Barrier!! Slot in!!"

--

The lance crashed into the barrier, temporarily scattering the energy that formed the edge of the lance. 

"Huh?!?!" Enker said, confused.

"RAGNA!! GET OUTTA THERE!!!" Mega's voice screamed, causing Enker to whirl around.

Ragna scrambled to his feet and jumped out of range, just as Mega released his giant burst of plasma. Enker frowned angrily, and jumped up, somehow keeping afloat in the air.

"Huh!?! How'd he do that?!?!" Mega wondered.

"AirShoes?" Ragna offered.

"Mega!! Look out!!" Lan shouted, and Mega yelped as he avoided a pelt of plasma sent his way.

Ragna too had to jump aside to avoid the pellets sent his way. 

"Damnit!!" Mega cursed. "WAAH!!"

Mega jumped away from another blast, and growled.

"We gotta get up to him somehow!!"

That gave the taller Navi an idea. He quickly calculated the distance between the ground and Enker, then turned to Mega.

"Mega! Charge your Buster to the max!"

"What?!?!"

"Just do it!!"

Mega shrugged his shoulders, and started charging, avoiding pellets every now and then.

"STAND STILL ALREADY!!!" Enker shouted, still having the same gloominess to his voice.

"Yeah right, like I would," Mega mumbled.

The two Navis kept on dodging, until Mega shouted to Ragna: "I'm done!!"

"Good! Then get over here!!"

Mega (somehow) managed to get to Ragna.

"Hold on to my lance and hurry!!" Ragna said, not giving Mega a chance to question him.

Mega nodded and quickly grabbed a hold of it. He gave a startled yelp as Ragna easily raised the lance, taking Mega with it, and finally extending the lance to about four times its usual size, bringing Mega awfully close to the quite startled Enker.

The Blue Bomber smirked and quickly fired the plasma he'd charged up, making Enker scream as he was shot back.

"Gotcha!!" Mega said with a whoop, accidentally releasing the lance. "…Uh-oh…"

He was instantly sent crashing down to Earth, and quite fast too. Lucky for Mega, Ragna managed to catch him, and quite easily.

Mega looked up in confusion, blinking, until he smiled and said in a feminine voice: "My hero!"

Ragna blinked, then rolled his eyes and said: "Oh, knock it off!" right before dropping the Blue Bomber on his ass.

"OW!!!"

--

Meanwhile, Lan and Jinn were laughing their heads off at the quite hilarious scene, making everyone in the lab look at them, which the boys didn't seem to notice.

Jinn wiped the tears away and said through his chuckle: "Man, this seems like some cheap story on FanFiction.Net!"

Lan had either not heard him, or he wasn't paying attention, seeing as he was still laughing.

--

"Well, that's over and done with!" Mega finally said, not spotting Enker anywhere.

Ragna nodded, until he spotted something else.

"Hey Mega! Check this out!" he said, picking up three pieces of data.

Two of them appeared to be chip data, while the other seemed to be a message.

"What does it say?" Mega asked as Ragna temporarily handed him the chips.

"'I might be a World 3 member, but I'm a Navi of my word'," Ragna read aloud. 

The two Navis looked at each other in confusion, blinking, twice, before examining the data.

"Wow! These are rare chips!!" Ragna exclaimed.

"Higsby would _kill_ to get his hands on these!"

"That Enker was tough! I hope he was the _only_ MegaMan Killer Navi around!" Lan said.

"Yeah, I don't like to have to fight a whole army of Navis intent on deleting me."

"Hey Mega, did you notice that Enker said 'die', and not 'delete'?"

"……He did… didn't he?"

"Something fishy's going on around here…" Lan mumbled. "And I don't like it."

"You know, we should inform your father about this, Lan," Jinn said.

"Tell me about what?" a voice said behind the boys, making them whirl around with a yelp.

"Dad!"

"Dr. Hikari!"

"What's wrong boys?" Yuuichiro asked, confused.

"Dad, what're you doing here?" Lan asked.

"The SciLab needed me here for a while. Now, what is it that you needed to tell me?"

"Uh, one second!" Jinn said. "Ragna! Jack out!"

"Mega, you too!"

"Roger!"

--

"He said he was a World 3 member, and that he was designed by Wily to delete Mega," Lan said, sitting in front of his father in his office.

"Hmm… we should ask Wily about this, though I doubt he'll answer," Yuuichiro said.

"If I may speak up," Jinn said, sitting backwards on a chair, leaning on his folded arms, "Enker told Ragna that he was programmed by Wily when he thought Ragna was as good as deleted. So it's most likely that he was telling the truth."

Lan turned to Jinn and asked: "By the way, how come you show up whenever we need you?"

"Call it a stroke of luck!" Jinn said, smiling. "I don't really believe in fate or stuff like that, but I think that a lot of stuff happen for a special reason. I mean, how was I supposed to know Lan took that request from Enker?"

"You're right! There was no way you could've known!" Mega said. "Still, thanks for the help!"

"Don't bother, Mega!" Ragna said. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Lan smiled at the other duo, until--

"Hey Lan! You've got mail from Chaud!"

"Huh?? From Chaud??"

"Yeah, it says: "There's a new NetCrime-Organization at work, and I'm only telling you once this time; leave it to the Officials for once. You've done more than enough already. And we don't need a repeat of what happened with Alpha, do we? So, once more, stay out of it!" ……He'll never change, huh?"

"Most likely not," Lan said. "And this won't be a repeat of Alpha! No way!"

"Don't speak too soon, Lan," Jinn said, making Lan look at him. "Life sometimes gets the urgency to repeat itself. So stay on your toes, okay?"

Lan nodded, and was about to open his mouth---

"Huh? It's a mail form Shine!" Mega said, catching Jinn and Ragna off guard.

"What does it say?" Lan asked.

"Let's see. "Hi Lan, I don't know if you received Chaud's mail, but there's a new NetCrime-Organization on the loose. You might have noticed one way or another already, but this is just in case you haven't. Chaud doesn't want you involved, but he's just worried about you. I can read most people like an open book, but Chaud doesn't know, so don't tell him, okay? Anyway, Muramasa's being re-uploaded, seeing as she got mangled up pretty badly during the last fight. Oh, the Organization's name is 'Zahler'. Well, see you later Lan!""

"Chaud??? Worried??" Lan wondered aloud, confused.

Mega was just as confused. Why would Chaud be worried? He didn't have a reason to. Did he??

"You never said you knew Shine!!" Jinn interrupted.

Lan and Mega were even more confused about that.

"Say what?"

"You heard me! You never said you knew Shine!"

"You never asked, and how do _you_ know her!?" Lan asked.

"Kindergarten," Jinn said plainly. "I haven't seen her since she left DenCity to study. I've only met her Navi a few weeks ago."

Yuuichiro nodded in understanding and said: "She must've changed a lot in your perspective then."

"I doubt that! Is she still optimistic?" Jinn asked.

"Quite," Mega said.

"Then she's still the same!"

--

Jinn arrived at the hotel a little later that night, his mind boggling with questions.

"Enker… in what games did he appear anyway?" Jinn asked.

"Uh… Mega Man 1, Mega Man 5, Mega Man Soccer, and Rockboard," Ragna answered.

Jinn looked at him a little oddly.

"Enker was in the very first Robot Rebellion??"

Ragna gave him a look that read "are you stupid?" and said: "Gameboy versions."

"Oh."

"Where does 'Enker' come from anyway? I know it has to have something to do with music, seeing as Capcom has to keep the theme alive."

"Yeah. I think I read about it somewhere, but I forgot momentarily. By the way, did you know Lan and Mega knew Shine?"

"Well, Raye--I mean, Muramasa! Damnit! I'll never get this right!--asked if I've already met 'blueberry', so I figured she must've met Mega already."

"Ah. Makes sense."

Jinn made his way into the elevator, heading for his room on the fourth floor. He was leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets thinking things over once or twice.

"Chaud, worried? If Shine says so, he probably is… but… why?"

"Hey, Jinn, you… don't think that he might… you know…"

"Does it bother you?"

"No! No, that's not it! It's just… well… they just…"

"What?"

"Uh… never mind!!"

__

Ping!

Jinn looked up and noticed this was his floor, and got out of the elevator. He calmly headed for his room, contemplating on what Ragna had been trying to say. It didn't really make sense, but what _did_ make sense in this world?

--

Once in his room, Jinn went out to the balcony, watching the scenery for some time, not really having anything else to do. 

"This has been quite an eventful day, eh Ragna?"

"…………"

"Ragna?"

"……………"

"Ragna!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, didn't hear you. What'd you say?"

"What's up with you? Why are you acting so strange?"

"………………"

"Ragna?"

"It's… not important…"

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if you ever want to tell what it is, I'll listen, okay?"

"Okay."

Jinn looked up, and noticed that the sun had already set.

"It's getting late. Let's hit the sack!"

"Sure. G'night."

"Goodnight."

-- 

****

D. Zero: "Cheap story on FanFiction.Net"?? The hell!?

Z: What?! It is!! I mean, all it takes is Microsoft Word, internet, and that's it!!

D. X: o_0

D. Zero: Uh… okay… but still!!!

D. X: Good question by the way, where _did_ 'Enker' come from?

Z: Meh, I feel like making people guess. But it's one out of these five

1) Italian Opera

2) Group of five musicians

3) Norwegian music style

4) Japanese Opera

5) A musical instrument in Japan

D. Zero: Lot of options.

Z: Quite.

Miri-chan: Sis, what's going to come in the next chapter?

Z: I'm not sure.

D. Zero: Well, how 'bout we take a dip in the pool first? It's friggin' hot in here!!

Z: ………………

D. Zero: o_0 Sis?? You alright?

D. X: Uh… Z??

Z: ………………………:)

D. Zero: O.O

D. X: O_O

Miri-chan: Uh oh……

--

SNEAK-PEAK OF: Pool Fun And New Enemies

__

"Ugh! There's got to be something in here that looks reasonable."

"Like anything would look reasonable on someone like you."

"Excuse me?" 

"You heard me! And I'm not going to repeat myself to some brat!" 

"Well, for your information, I never asked for your opinion, so sod off!" 

"But I gave it anyways. And what are you going to do about it, little pipsqueak?"

"Look, I'm rather busy, so find someone else to bug."

"Why should I? You're an easier target than that other brat with the white hair."


	13. Chapter V Part 1: Pool Fun And New Enemi...

****

Okay, back to Muramasa and Shine I guess.

------------------------------------

TJ and Rikumon: ClownMan?? Gimme a break!

Red Chaos Mage: Unfortunately, yes. MMBN3 to be precise. DarkMan was only allowed to battle with Serenade if he managed to delete 10000 Navis. I liked him (a little).

Enigma: Ah. Yeah, I know.

Pyrogirll23: Again, I'm sorry. But there's a certain author (who's also a repeat reviewer) who'd have my head on a platter if I gave out Lan and Mega. But there might be someone else for you. They're in this chapter. If you're interested, give me a holler. Otherwise, tell me who else you'd like.

Song: Bass doesn't have an Operator! Sure, he was created by Cossack, but he doesn't have an Operator (as I was told by Enigma). The Bass Shun had was a mere copy. And don't worry about sucking at the game! Those parts always take long! Do you have any idea how frigging long I've been playing MMBN2 just to get a "ZapRing2 S"?!?!?

Sol Sabre: [catches bag] Sure! I feel like sharing right now. Especially after that 'pool incident'. ^__^ [eats a cookie] Ah know DawkMan dun've an Opewatow… Woops! Sowwy! [gulp] I said, I know DarkMan doesn't have an Operator, and I know he's an assassin Navi. By the by, is Serenade a guy or a gall?? I heard somewhere that Serenade was a gall in Japan, but he's a guy in the American version. What's up with that?? [eats a few more cookies and hands a few to Enzan] Weiwd…

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter V Part 1: Pool Fun And New Enemies

"Oh god… It's so hot around here…"

"Looks like we're going to have a heatwave again."

"Oh great… Now what do we do?"

"I don't know. You think of something."

"I'm not sure if I can. I think my brains are starting to melt."

"Very funny."

--

Shine was waving cool air at her face using a homemade fan, occasionally wiping the sweat from her brow. She had removed her jacket, and had rolled up the legs of her pants. At the moment, she was also walking around barefoot. 

Chaud on the other hand was just being… Chaud.

He hadn't even bothered taking off his jacket as he continued to sort through something he had been working on. Apparently, he thought he didn't look like himself if he didn't wear his usual outfit. Just looking at him made Shine sweat. 

It was about 2 months since the incident with DrillMan. Muramasa had managed to deal with complete darkness until she was recovered, but she still kept mumbling it hurt like hell, and kept cursing in Japanese. Most words Shine didn't know, and she had the suspicious feeling she didn't want to either.

"Chaud! How can you stand this heat while wearing _that_?!" she asked after pushing open one of the windows.

"I just do," Chaud answered calmly around his pen, which was stuck between his teeth at the moment.

Shine sighed and looked out the window of the large complex. Chaud watched her as she continued waving cool air at her face, sitting in the windowsill. Something was bothering her, but he wasn't sure what. He shrugged it off and turned back to the form he'd been filling in. He had to have them all finished or he was in big trouble.

"Hey Chaud?" Shine suddenly said.

'There ya got it,' he thought, a bit irritated. 

"Hmhmm?" he asked around his pen, before scribbling something down.

"You said you lived here with your father, right? How come I've never seen him?"

Chaud didn't bother looking up when he said: "He's been busy lately. He doesn't have time to stay in the house for long."

"So… that makes you the man of the house?"

Chaud looked at her a little oddly.

"Just a question!" Shine said in defense, before turning back to the window.

It was way too hot to argue about anything. And she wasn't the only one who found it was hot. Their Navis were also feeling a tad hot, being stuck in their PETs all the time. Still, they said nothing, not feeling that much like talking.

Muramasa, who was fixed up again, wiped some sweat from her brow, but kept her mouth shut. Proto hardly moved, and said nothing at all, even though he was clearly as hot as everyone else.

When the silence became too much, Shine picked up both PETs, and said: "I'm going out for a while, okay?" and left before anyone could object.

--

Once she was outside in the garden of the rather large complex, Shine pulled out Chaud's PET, and asked: "Hey Proto, what does Chaud's dad do anyway?"

"Why do you ask?" Proto asked in confusion.

"Can't I even ask a question with this heat? Jeez!" Shine mumbled.

"Sorry."

Shine kept on flapping her fan, still feeling as hot as ever. She continued walking through the garden, sometimes stopping to watch a few plants here and there. Still, the sun was shining as bright as before, and it made the day slightly unbearable. And there were quite a few plants who thought the same way. 

"Ugh! I just need a jump in a pool or something!" Shine finally said, unable to stand the heat any longer.

"So, why don't you?" Proto asked, surprising the whitehead. 

"Are you saying you guys actually have a pool here?!" Muramasa asked the other Navi.

"Well, yeah," Proto said calmly.

Muramasa frowned, a little angry and asked: "And no one bothered to tell us?!"

Proto opened his mouth, but Shine beat him to it.

"Let me guess. We never asked. Right?"

"…Right."

--

The sound of a lock rattling sounded through the room for a moment or so, coming from outside the door, until the distinct click of the lock sounded, signaling that it was unlocked now. Carefully, the door creaked open, and Shine peeked her head inside, looking around to check if no one was around, before walking inside carefully. She stopped for a moment, and just stared.

"………Wow," was the only thing that came out.

Quickly, the girl raced for the water, and looked at her reflection in it (AFTER laying the PETs on the ground). The water moved slightly, making the surface ripple ever so gently, causing the girl's reflection to deform. Still, it was easy to make out the short white locks and the curious purple eyes, staring at the water in fascination.

"So? You gonna get in, or what?" Muramasa asked, hands on her hips.

"Don't you think I need a _swimsuit_ for that?" Shine asked, looking up from her reflection.

The gray-haired Navi gave a sigh, but said nothing.

A smile suddenly appeared on Shine's face and she straightened up.

"Hey! I've got an idea!!" she said.

Muramasa sweat dropped and whispered to Proto: "This _can't_ be good. I can feel it."

Proto shared the feeling, and gulped almost unnoticeably. 

--

"Hey Chaud!" Shine's voice pierced his thoughts, and he looked up to see her entering the room, smiling from ear-to-ear. "What do you use that pool for anyway?"

Chaud wasn't even going to ask how she figured out they even _had_ one, knowing she either found it by looking around, or by asking ProtoMan.

"I don't. My father uses it mostly," he said, avoiding her gaze so she couldn't see the slightly pained look in his eyes.

It was the truth, really. He wasn't allowed in there. That's why it was always locked up whenever his father wasn't around. Even though he was an Official, and was allowed to do all sorts of things when outside, once he was at home, there were quite the few things he wasn't allowed to use or do.

"Are you saying… you're not _allowed_ to use the pool??" Shine asked, disbelief clear in her voice.

Chaud looked up from under his bangs, noting that her smile was now gone and she looked a little dumbfound. He had no idea how she figured it out, but what was the use denying it now?

"No…" he said softly, shaking his head with the same force (which wasn't much).

--

"Not allowed to use the pool of his own house?!?!" Muramasa demanded, a little steamed off.

"We usually have better stuff to do anyway," Proto says, not looking at the girl.

"That's no reason to-to-to--"

Muramasa struggled in vain for words to use, but upon finding none, she screamed and raked her hands through her hair. Not only because she couldn't find the word, but also because she was just plain pissed. Not at Chaud, Shine or Proto, but at Chaud's father.

She'd only seen him three times in MMBN3, and the man didn't leave a good first impression on her. And at the end, where he said dinner was at seven, and where Chaud asked if he could eat with him, she had shaken her head softly, feeling pity for the whitehead. No, the man had not left a good impression on her. 

Finally, Muramasa let her arms fall to the side, hands clenched into fists as she said: "Shine! Tell him!"

--

Shine nodded and said: "Well, if you want to know, it's open now!"

Chaud's head snapped up in surprise.

"Open?? But my father always---" he started.

Before he could finish, Shine smiled a downright _evil_ smile and produced a few hairpins from her hair, which had the distinct form of a key. 

"Just because I look all innocent doesn't mean I am," she said, still smiling at Chaud's shocked expression.

Chaud finally snapped out of it and smirked, shaking his head.

"You're full of surprises, aren't you?" he asked.

"I think Muramasa's starting to rub off on me," Shine said, placing the hairpins back in her hair.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Muramasa asked, pretending to be angry, though she really wasn't.

"Anyway, I don't know about you, but I'm going to need a swimsuit," Shine said with a shrug, looking neutral again. "All I brought from Netopia was my PET, some money, and the clothes I'm currently wearing."

Chaud nodded and said: "Well, seeing as I was never allowed to use the pool, I'm going to need something too."

Shine smiled and said: "Then let's go!"

--

Shine moved a few swimsuits aside that she didn't like, and continued until she reached the end, before heading for the next row. It was hard to pick a suit she really liked, because all of them looked different, and that made it much harder to choose. Chaud was most likely having it easier, knowing in advance what he wanted, and searching for it with determination.

Shine however, was a different story.

"Ugh! There's got to be something in here that looks reasonable," she mumbled.

"Like anything would look reasonable on someone like you," a voice said behind her, making Shine whirl around in confusion.

She instantly stood face-to-face with a boy just a few years older than her, to her estimation, with short black hair and piercing blue eyes, even more so than Chaud's. Only difference was that this boy looked downright… _evil_. E-V-I-L. You could simply read it off his face, whether you wanted to or not.

He only wore black, and most clothes seemed to just _cling_ to his body like a second skin, showing off the muscles of his chest, arms, and legs. He wore some tight jeans, and had four silver belts around his waist. The belts were way too big for his rather narrow hips, and dangled a little above his thighs, jingling lightly as he walked. There was also a chain hanging around his neck, with a set of rings of some kind on it. Both rings were silver and seemed engraved with odd symbols that Shine couldn't quite identify. He wore heavy, black leather boots, with small silver belts on them. He also wore a spiked choker, some black fingerless gloves with small silver studs near the knuckles, and there was a dark black ribbon tied securely around his upper-right arm. His arms were bare, and he also had a leather jacket on, and another ribbon around his forehead. He had a symbol engraved silver ring on each finger but his thumbs, each sparking when the light fell on them. On the center of his shirt, was a large omega symbol.

"Excuse me?" Shine asked, confused.

Who was this guy?

"You heard me! And I'm not going to repeat myself to some brat!" the boy said with a voice as piercing as his eyes.

Gave Shine the shivers.

"Well, for your information, I never asked for your opinion, so sod off!" Shine said, refusing to use any other cusswords.

The boy chuckled and said: "But I gave it anyways. And what are _you_ going to do about it, little pipsqueak?"

Shine slowly clenched her fists, and kept it up until the knuckles turned as white as her hair. Her eyes closed and her eyebrows started to twitch, begging to arch downward, as she tried to keep her mouth in a smooth line. 

When she opened her eyes, she said: "Look, I'm rather busy, so find someone else to bug."

The boy simply smirked and said: "Why should I? You're an easier target than that other brat with the white hair."

Shine's eyebrow twitched a little, but she managed to keep it up, though she started to shake lightly. This wasn't going to end well if someone didn't step in.

--

Muramasa in the meantime was facing off with the boy's Navi, who was, surprisingly, a head taller than her, with her hair included. The duo glared each other down, neither willing to back down. 

The Navi had a helmet with what seemed like demon-horns on them, though they could look like cat-ears when viewed from a different angle, with a furious red crystal on his forehead. The caps on his ears held an omega symbol, which was most likely his Navi-Symbol. He had pitch-black armor with blood red lines criss-crossing across it, making it seem like he had large scratches in it. The sharply pointed shouldercaps were blood-red and the right cap held a rather bold, yet slightly classy 'Z' on it. On his chestplate, there was a single gem of the same color as that on his forehead. He had spiked blood-red kneecaps and had rather large boots with red noses and heels.

His eyes were emotionless and piercing red, without pupils, leaving no chance to read him, and his mouth was formed in a firm line, and Muramasa vaguely wondered if they were glued together. From the back of his helmet, came a long mass of really light blond, almost white hair, which was the only thing that clashed with the Navi. He also had a sheath on his back, but she thought nothing of it.

"If I were you, I'd tell my Operator to leave mine alone. Unless you want to be deleted before you can say 'yikes'," the Navi said, voice cold and emotionless.

Muramasa closed her eyes and chuckled lightly, before opening her eyes and saying: "If I'm not mistaking, it was _your_ Operator who started this whole mess. So why don't you tell _yours_?"

"Heh," the Navi said, smirking viciously. "Like I have to fear anything from a petit little girl."

"Don't think that just because I'm girl and smaller than you, that I'm as easy as you _think_ me to be," Muramasa hissed, her tail starting to move around behind her, showing she was getting aggravated.

Before either the boy or the Navi could say anything else though…

--

"That's enough of that, Rei," Chaud said, causing the boy to look up. "And if I were you, I'd get out of here before I have to arrest you." As afterthought: "_Again_."

The boy, obviously named Rei, scowled, and said: "Like I said a million times already, that's _X_ to you!"

Rei--or X, whatever!--whirled around and stalked off, with Shine watching him leave.

"Who was he?" Shine asked. 

"Trouble. Trust me," Chaud said.

--

Once they were back at Chaud's house, Shine plopped down on her bed, finally allowing a scowl to slip into place. She sat there for some time, before she pulled out the swimsuit she bought. She'd finally just picked one at random, and hadn't even noticed what she'd bought.

Holding it up, she noticed that it was a light white, though slightly darker than her hair. On the front, was a strange symbol that looked either Chinese or Japanese. She wasn't sure.

"If you want to know, it means 'light'," Muramasa's voice said softly, a tinge of anger visible in it.

"Japanese?"

"Hai."

"That guy's Navi pissed you off?"

"Ooh yeah."

"Aha."

"…………………"

"…………………"

"…………………"

"…………………"

"Are you going to get into that suit or what?!"

"EEP!! Right!"

--

A little later, Shine arrived at the pool, noting that Chaud wasn't around yet. She shrugged her shoulders and placed her PET somewhere where it wouldn't get wet, before heading for the water. She kneeled down, checking exactly how deep it was before nodding and wiping the stray locks from her face. She'd removed her ponytails because she liked to watch her hair float about when she was in the water.

She kneeled lower, until she was on one knee, and stared into the water for a moment. Carefully, she brought up her arms, and put her chin on her throat. She took deep breaths, and finally took a final gulp, before vanishing underwater with a sharp push of her leg.

--

Chaud watched her for a moment, and when she vanished underwater, he walked inside, placing his PET beside Shine's. Proto and Muramasa greeted in their usual way, and started some light conversation to pass the time. 

He smirked, then turned to the water, just as Shine resurfaced, taking a gulp of air. She finally noticed him and turned to him.

"Hey Chaud!" she said, smiling. "What took you?"

Chaud shrugged and said: "Nothing important."

Shine rolled her eyes. She noticed Chaud was wearing a dark black bathing suit, and it suited him quite well.

"Well? Come on!!" she said, splashing a small wave of water his way. 

Chaud didn't move, and said: "And if I don't?"

Shine looked at him, her face giving nothing away. She suddenly took a gulp of breath and dived under again. Within seconds, she had vanished from his view. Chaud blinked, and looked closer, but was unable to find her. He walked over, trying to locate her, but he wasn't having any luck. He kneeled down, and squinted against the water, but still nothing.

"RAH!!!" a voice behind him shouted, before he was violently shoved into the water, headfirst.

Having been startled right before vanishing under the water, he'd been unable to breathe in, so you can guess, he sort of panicked. But for some reason, his limbs wouldn't move. He tried, but they just wouldn't budge. 

--

__

He desperately tried to struggle, but his tired limbs just couldn't stop the hands pushing him under, not allowing him out of the water. The air escaped from his lips, and he was close to unconsciousness, but he continued to struggle, trying to hold out for dear life, but found himself unable to. 

With one last cry, he blacked out.

--

Just as panic began to consume him, he felt something clutch onto his arm. He managed to whirl around, and noticed Shine looking at him with a worried glance, before she began to swim up with him. 

Once above the surface, Chaud started gulping up the air his lungs craved for.

"What happened? You… you just cramped up!" Shine asked, sounding rather worried.

"I don't know…" Chaud said softly.

"Chaud… did you eat before you came here?" Shine asked, looking at him with a worried look.

"…No… why?" Chaud asked, confused.

Shine shook her head.

"Nothing. Come on! Let's get you back ashore!"

--

"Close one," Muramasa said softly. "What was all that about?"

"I don't know…" Proto mumbled.

"Hey Proto, why wasn't Chaud allowed in here anyway?"

"I'm not sure. It had something to do with… with… I don't know! Something!"

"Hmmm… his dad's hiding something…"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm suspecting he doesn't want Chaud to discover something. But the question is, what?"

"I don't---Hey! Shine looks like a fish doing that!"

Muramasa looked up at the screen, and noticed Shine popping out of the water, vanishing back under, and popping back out a few seconds later.

"Oh, _that_. I don't know why, but she likes doing that."

"Too bad Navis can't do anything like that."

"Ha. If _that_ was possible."

--

"Tut-tut, it looks like rain," Shine mumbled staring at the darkening sky.

It was already near nightfall, and Shine was wearing a rather oversized T-shirt, not having a nightgown and all. 

"Uruse, Christopher Robin," Muramasa mumbled.

"What?!" Shine asked.

Muramasa didn't answer as the rolling storm came closer and closer. Shine finally closed the window, and sat down on her bed, holding her PET in hand. 

"So, what do we got on this thing anyway?" she asked.

Muramasa cracked her fingers, and said: "Let's find out."

--

"Hora, Shine?" Muramasa asked after a few hours.

"Yeah?"

"……How did you know about Netopia?"

"…………I dunno. It just… popped into my skull…"

"Nani???"

"Yeah, I know. It's odd."

"Well anyway, let's get some rest and think about it tomorrow!"

"Okay!"

--

During the middle of the night, Shine sat upright in bed. Something had woken her up, but she wasn't sure what it had been. She sat there, unmoving, listening for whatever it'd been she'd heard. Her head slowly turned to her PET, which was attached to the PC she had in the room. The screen was blank, but there was a familiar ringing coming from it.

Shine got up, and walked over to it. After picking it up, she read the message.

"I'm sorry if I woke you, but I sensed something strange on the Net, and I'm going to check it out. It felt awfully familiar somehow, I don't know what it was. I'll be back before dawn, I promise. R.G."

Shine smiled and placed down her PET. That's when it dawned to her that it was raining, but not storming. Shine smiled, staring at the rainfall, and opened the door to the balcony. Without putting anything else on, she stepped out, letting the rain soak her completely. She always enjoyed the rain, while Muramasa hated it more than anything. She wasn't sure what it was, but she just loved it.

Leaning on the railing, Shine stared down at the garden, smiling a strange, drunken smile. She didn't know why she smiled, she just did. 

The smile faded once she noticed the light in the poolhouse being on though.

--

Chaud watched the water as he sat there, not really doing anything, just, sitting and staring. He was clad in some gray pajamas, and he was soaked to the bone from the rain, making him shiver every once in awhile, though it meant little to him. He was sitting on a ledge, swinging his legs a little, making the water ripple with the gentle movement. 

He was just staring, not doing anything at all but swing his legs and stare. Thoughts hardly formed, but when they did, he couldn't grasp them to stay in reality. He was so lost in the silence of his own mind, that he failed to hear the door creak open, or heard the small footsteps heading gingerly his way, or the calling of his own name.

All he saw and all he heard was the water, rippling gently and crashing against the ledge he was sitting on. He couldn't make out anything that wasn't water, even when it was right in front of his nose.

But he was violently startled from his serene state of mind when a gush of water crashed over him, making him cry out in surprise.

"What's the matter with you!?!?" Shine demanded, holding one fist on her hip, while the other held on to a now empty bucket. "You're just staring at the water and you don't listen to anything I say!"

Chaud removed his drenched bangs from his eyes and stared at Shine in surprise, not having expected her here, and blinked.

"What are you talking about??" he asked.

"Hellooo!! Anybody home?!" Shine asked, rapping Chaud on his head a few times, much to the boy's dislike.

"Ow! What was that for?!" he demanded holding his hands on his head in fear of her hand rapping on his head again.

"For zoning out! And besides, what're you doing here?! Isn't it a little _late_ to hang around near the pool, _in your pajamas_??" she punctuated the last part of the sentence by tugging lightly on Chaud's pajamas.

"That's none of your business!" Chaud said, a little angry with her, but Shine looked at him.

"Then I'm _making_ it my business! Now spit it out! What're you dong here?!"

Chaud looked away, still looking angry.

"Why should I tell you?" he demanded.

A sigh was heard, and before he knew it, he got dunked again.

"HEY!!!"

"Serves you right!! Now what-- AAAH!!!!"

Shine gave a sharp cry as she was pushed into the pool, but she made sure to pull Chaud in with her.

A little later, they both came back up, gasping and coughing water from their lungs in frantic urgency.

"I am SO going to get you for that one!!" Chaud hissed, though a smirk was playing on his lips.

Shine put her mouth underwater, blowing bubbles a little angrily, making it known she wasn't happy. Chaud suddenly sent a wave of water her way, but she ducked under water easily. And when she came up, she squirted water from her mouth at Chaud.

With laughter tearing from their throats, they started to 'battle', no longer caring that they were in their nightclothes, in the pool in the middle of the night. 

--

Carefully, she walked through the deserted area, looking around carefully, trying to spot whatever she'd felt. She could feel it was close, whatever it was. It had an air of familiarity, but she was unable to identify it without knowing what she was looking for.

Being unable to jack out made her feel a slight tinge of panic, but it was overruled greatly by adrenaline. She kept her Buster out, charging it with a shrill whirl. Magenta eyes flashed from side to side, ears on sharp as she tried to figure out what in hell she was searching for. 

A chilly wind from behind her made her whirl around and aim her Buster---but there was nothing there.

With a sigh, she looked around again.

'Kuso… I'm getting jumpy,' she thought. 

Something suddenly whooshed behind her, and her head started pounding like mad. Just the sheer _power_ radiating from---whatever it was!---was enough to make her feel sick. An involuntary shiver ran up and down her spinal cord, as she suddenly realized exactly _who_ she'd been following.

'Ah _KUSO_!!'

The pounding in her head increased, signaling that he was getting closer, and she started clutching her Buster tighter with every second that passed. 

But once it became too much, she whirled around and aimed her Buster, making the figure halt in amazement.

"If I were you, I'd stay there! Just so you know, I've got a rather itchy Buster," she said, voice thick and heavy, making her sound like she was a male.

The figure hovering there didn't speak, just stared her down with those menacing red eyes. Just… stared at her.

She knew he was stronger than she was, but surprisingly, he didn't move anymore, safe for hovering up and down a little. 

"You're Bass, aren't you?" she finally asked, not daring to lose eye contact.

If you lost eye contact in something like this, it would show your fear, and that was one thing she wasn't planning to show.

His eyes narrowed only a millimeter, and his mouth was hidden behind his poncho, making it impossible for her to see what he was thinking. 

"…I see you know who I am. Dare I ask, how?"

She flinched at his voice, which was completely void of any emotion. Still, she showed no fear, and didn't move anything but her mouth.

"When you study the history of the Net, you tend to learn certain things," she said, voice chilling to subzero.

Silence fell upon them, with the two staring each other down. She didn't say anything at all, just stood there, holding her Buster aimed at him. 

Finally, she said something.

"Look, I'd love to stay and 'chat'," she said sarcastically, knowing they hardly talked at all, making him frown slightly, "but my Operator's going to get worried if I stay away too long."

"…I don't see why you should follow orders from humans," he said icily.

"Excuse me!?" she asked with the same ferocity. "What reason do I have to _not_ listen to her!?"

Silence for some time, before he broke it.

"…Because sooner or later, they'll always betray you."

"Oh, so that's it? Huh? You've seen a handful of people and you think you know them all. AND DON'T YOU DARE INTERUPT!!!" she screamed the last part when she noticed his eyes narrowing. "Well, news-flash mister High and Mighty! There ARE humans who actually _CARE_ for their Navis! And I don't think it was _your_ Operator who commanded your deletion, or did he?! Hmm?"

"What would you know about the things I've been through?! What would you know about being betrayed by the only ones you ever trusted!? Just _look_ at this!!!" he shouted, and moved the poncho aside to show the only thing she'd been unable to see before.

"Holy mother of!!!" she murmured, eyes wide.

He had a Navi-Symbol on his chest, like most Navis, but his had a large scar across it, obviously made by a pretty large sword, and it nearly ran over his entire chest, stopping right near his side and his shoulder. 

"This scar remains as proof that humans betrayed me! They stabbed me in the back when I put my trust in them!!"

"S-s-s-SHUT UP!!! JUST SHUT UP!!!" she screamed, unable to buy what he was telling her. 

Shine would never betray her! Never! The girl was just too innocent to do that!

"Shine would never betray me!! She couldn't!!! And your Operator didn't betray you!!! I know he didn't!!!" 

"You know NOTHING of me!! So stop making false conclusions!!"

"Oh really?! Well I know for one thing that that aura of yours won't be able to handle THIS!!!"

With the last word, she fired a large bolt of plasma that crashed into his LifeAura, which shattered on impact. The blast hit him straight against his Navi-Symbol, making him scream out as he was sent backward, smashing into the ground.

When he jumped up, he was furious.

"That does it!!! Prepare to face a painful deletion!!!"

"Ha!! I hope you're ready to face your maker!!! BRING IT ON!!!"

"YOU ASKED FOR IT!!! YAAAAAAH!!"

"SAYANORA!!! HYAAA!!!"

-- 

****

D. Zero: You just _had_ to end it there, huh?

Z: Well why not!?

D. X: Well, at least we're in it! ^_^

D. Zero: Yeah! That's always good! And we're bad guys too! Right?

Z: o_0 Took you this long to notice?

D. Zero: -_-;; Shut up.

Z: Heheh. 

Enzan: [eats a few cookies and pays no attention]

D. X: What's with the rings?

Z: Not enough jewelry in the story.

D. Zero: *pictures it* Would look good on you!

D. X: *blushes* I-i-it would??

D. Zero: I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it, right? -_^

D. X: *turns red*

Z: Hey X! You're turning into a tomato! *chuckles*

D. X: H-hey!!!

D. Zero: Sis! Knock it off!

Z: *grins*

Miri-chan: Siiiiiiiiiiiis!! What does Enker mean? I couldn't find anything on it.

Z: Oh alright. Enker is named after "enka", a traditional form of Japanese opera. Enker reportedly is very steeped in tradition of Japan, and is therefore yet another robot named after a musical style.

D. Zero, D. X and Miri-chan: O____O;;;;

Z: What?!

--

SNEAK-PEAK OF: Two Plus Two Equals Five

__

"Ow!"

"Sorry, didn't see you there." 

"No, it was me fault. I shoul've watched where I was goin'."

"Ah, don't bother. You here to buy a chip?"

"Yep. Dynawave ta be exact. Ye?"

"Can't say. It's a present for a friend's birthday, and I don't want her to find out at anyway through others."

"Oh. Okay. I guess tha's a good 'nough reason."

"By the way, you Australian or something?"

"Why yeah, how'd ya guess?"

"Your accent gave it away."

"Aha! Maybe I oughta do somethin' 'bout tha."

"You shouldn't. If you do that, you change who you are. So, my advice, don't change anything about yourself."


	14. Chapter V Part 2: Two Plus Two Equals Fi...

****

Right, Razor, Mike, Tsuchi, Sara, Shun, his new Navi are up, and a certain Australian Navi are up. Yes they're all in this chapter. -_-

------------------------------------

TJ and Rikumon: Sorry, but Clown Man is just one of my _least_ favorite Robot Masters. And besides, ColoredMan looks way too much like Clown Man already.

Youkai Ryuu: Yeah, so do I.

Pyrogirll23: Okay, gotcha. But Zero ain't that bad once you get to know him. ……Oh, never mind, this IS my brother we're talking about. (D. Zero: "Damn straight! And I ain't proud of it." Z: "Shut up!") By the by, guess who's in Koto?

Song: How'd you even know I was talking about you? Thanks for clearing that up for me. Actually, those two aren't the _real_ Zero and X. No, those two are D. Zero and D. X, and those two are close to being Mavericks. (D. Zero: "Well thanks a lot." Z: "SHUT UP!") Well, Shine isn't used to long hair, and besides, she doesn't want to look like her sis. 0_o Who says he can't swim?? I'm a good swimmer myself, but when someone surprised me and tossed me in the water, I _almost_ cramped up. …Hey if you don't mind, we still need him for this story.

Enigma: Aha. Oh, here, I managed to keep these away from my bro. [hands cookies to Enigma] I think they were chocolate chip, but I'm not sure.

Red Chaos Mage: I know. ^_^ I think bro's turning me into a "Mavvie" as well. (D. Zero: "I am NOT!!!" Z: "Yeah right." D. Zero: "I AM _NOT_!!!!")

…: Nope. But I'll most likely make a loose fic with one-shots about _possible_ couples like I did with another one of my stories. Some couples from that story made no sense at all, seriously, but it was the challenge I was after.

Trinity: Eh? I did?? [reads Reflection] Woopsie. Didn't even notice. By the way, you reviewed my 'Sleepover' story, correct? If you complained that it should've been NC-17 rating, then, most likely, you have not read the warning I wrote at the very beginning, because I wrote, and I quote: "Rating's R, but it's supposed to be NC-17, so you've been warned." _And that goes for you too, Song!_ [glares, places fists on hips and taps foot in annoyance]

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter V Part 2: Two Plus Two Equals Five

"Man! It's so freaking hot outside!!"

"You're telling me!"

"How do you know? You're inside a PET!"

"Yeah, but I'm still goddamned hot!!"

"If you're hot, I don't _want_ to know how hot Muramasa must be with all those dark colors of hers."

"No, me neither."

--

Mike sat down on the bench with a sigh, wiping the sweat from his forehead. It was way too hot to stay inside, so he'd decided to get out. He'd gone to Marine Harbor to cool down, but it didn't really help. And the water now looked relatively inviting.

He wasn't the only one thinking that. A lot of little children were wading in the shallow water, under supervision of their parents of course, playing games most little children would play. 

Mike groaned as he wiped more sweat from his brows. Having black hair in weather like this proved to be _very_ unpleasant. 

"Hi there!" a familiar voice suddenly said, and Mike jumped a little, before tilting his head back.

"Shun!" he said, staring at the boy upside-down. "Long time no see!"

Shun smiled and sat down on the bench beside Mike. 

"It's hot out, isn't it?" he asked.

"You don't have to tell me!" Mike said, leaning back against the bench. "I just feel like jumping into the water right now! But there's no way I'm jumping in with my clothes on!"

"Why not? With this weather, it'll dry up in no time!"

"Well, I don't feel like walking around with my clothes all wet, okay?"

Shun smiled a little, and the two of them watched the kids play around in the water. They said nothing, and just sat there for god knows how long.

"Hey, Mike! I upgraded my Navi!" Shun suddenly said, and Mike looked at him in confusion.

"You did??" he asked.

Shun smiled broadly, and pulled out a PET that held a symbol that was almost the same as that of MegaMan, only it was mirrored, it was a bright yellow color, and there was a was a strange boomerang shaped thing on it, and he showed Mike the screen.

A rather small Navi was staring back at him. He was about three inches shorter than MegaMan to Mike's estimation, and had a pair of shades shielding his eyes like ProtoMan, with a strange yellow boomerang of some sort resting gently on his forehead. He wore green armor that was almost identical to MegaMan's, but it was still different here and there. There was a single stripe running over his helmet in the center, which was separated into smaller segments. The part around his wrists was a pure yellow, as well as those just under his knees. 

"Um uh… hi," the Navi said nervously, waving at Mike a little shyly.

Mike looked at him curiously, recognizing the design from something else.

"Mike, this is Quint, Quint, this is Mike," Shun said, still smiling.

'Ah yes! Quint. Mega Man 2 and 5, Gameboy versions. A future version of Mega and redesigned by Wily,' Mike thought, smiling a little.

--

Razor looked at the shorter Navi, who stared up with a fearful look, even if it wasn't fully visible with his shades on. They stood in silence for awhile, neither willing to break the silence. 

Finally though, Razor extended his hand to the Navi with a smile.

"I'm Razor, pleased to meet you," he said calmly.

The smaller Navi looked hesitant, before he accepted the taller Navi's hand, shaking it rather lightly. Razor didn't really bother with it. 

"So, is Shun a good Operator?" Razor asked, rather curious.

Quint nodded and said: "Yes, very much so. But… I'm not very good at NetBattling."

"Ah, that's no big deal!" Razor said, waving it aside. "All you need is some practice and you'll be fine."

Quint looked at him with a strange look, even though it was barely visible.

--

"Hey Shun, how 'bout we go cruise the Net for awhile?" Mike finally suggested.

"Okay!" Shun said excitedly and got up quickly.

Mike chuckled and stood up as well. Man, that kid could be even more enthusiastic than Lan.

--

Razor easily fired a bolt of plasma at the virus, sending it into deletion within mere seconds. Quint watched in amazement as Razor zoomed back and forth to delete viruses all around, not missing a beat. Finally, Razor pulled out his blades and began to hack away at every virus that came at him. Quint blinked as the viruses began to scatter in fright, leaving a laughing Razor behind.

"What a bunch of cowards!" Razor said through his laughter, retracting his blades. 

Quint moved over, and watched the last of the viruses vanished from sight.

"You're good," the small Navi said.

Razor simply smiled and said: "I've been practicing a lot with a friend of mine. And afterward, I started hammering on my own skills a little. Like I said, practice makes perfect."

Quint smiled a little shyly, and was about to say something, when a whistle broke him off.

The duo looked up in surprise, but Razor's surprised expression soon became a smirk.

"Tsuchi," he said, as the girl Navi easily jumped from the rock she was on, landing in front of them.

"Hey Razor! I wasn't counting on seeing you anytime soon!" she said, smiling.

"Same here," Razor said. "Oh, this is Quint. Quint, this is Tsuchi."

"Pleasure to meet you," Tsuchi said, smiling and shaking the smaller Navi's hand.

Razor smiled at Quint's fearful expression, knowing that Quint had probably never seen a girl before. 

"Hey, we were heading for Koto Square. You feel like coming along?" Razor asked.

Tsuchi blinked and said, looking up at where her Operator was probably looking: "Sara? Can I go with them?"

"Yeah, sure," a girl's voice said.

"Whoa hold up!" Razor suddenly said, making everyone look at him in surprise. "I don't think we introduced our Operators yet."

"No shit, Sherlock!" Mike mumbled.

Razor simply rolled his eyes and opened a connection with Mike. Quint opened a connection with Shun, and Tsuchi with her own Operator, going by the name Sara.

Sara had long, dark blond hair, and slightly slanted eyes, giving her a light Asian look. Around her neck hung a chain with a 'Best Friends' charm on it. She carried the 'Best' one, and, after looking closely, Razor noticed the 'Friends' charm around Tsuchi's neck. Sara wore a black sleeveless shirt with two red stoles with yellow trims. Her pants were black with a red trim near the ankles, and the flaps near her waist had two red waves on them. Her sneakers were pitch black.

The blonde gave a cool nod and said: "Hi, I'm Sara Kuki, plain Sara if you want to, I don't really care anyway."

Mike smiled and said: "Name's Michael Necros, but everyone calls me Mike."

Shun looked a little uneasy as he said: "Shun Obihiro, pleased to meet you."

Razor saw Tsuchi and Sara talk to Quint and Shun, but for some odd reason, the voices were becoming duller and duller as the seconds passed. He tried to read their lips, but his vision started to become blurry, and his breathing began to speed up. Perspiration started to gather, and finally slipped down his cheek, just past his brow, and finally dropped to the ground.

Faintly, he heard his name being called, but he couldn't register who was saying it. His eyes began to droop shut, though he struggled to keep them open. He staggered back, trying to stay on his feet as he could barely lift his arms to keep his balance. His body felt like it was made out of metal, and finally, it became too much for him, and he simply collapsed.

--

__

"We have to…… can't stop!!!"

--

"This won't wo…… goners!"

--

"Shut up shut up!! We…… give up!!"

--

"Oh god…… drugged."

--

"You…… a scare."

--

"Shi…… smarts!"

--

"Why are…… Bass??

--

"PRO…… VANCE!!!"

--

"OME…… IVATE!!!"

--

"MUR…… IVATE!!!"

--

"HYP…… IVATE!!!"

--

"Hehehehe…… you…… worthless…… useless data…… deletion…… destruction……… DIE!!!"

--

With a sudden jolt, Razor shot awake, confusion written all over his face as he stared up.

"…The fuck 'appened?" he asked tiredly, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, not noticing that Tsuchi'd been shaking him awake for the longest time.

"You… you fainted," Quint said, confused.

"I think your Navi caught a bug, or something," Sara said to Mike, who gave the girl a slight frown, before turning to his Navi.

"Razor? You alright?"

"I'll be fine. I dunno wha 'appened," Razor said, before shaking his head wildly and getting back up.

Tsuchi got up as well, blinking at Razor as he seemed to be fighting a war with himself. He seemed so confused, but he said nothing. 

Sara was the one to break the silence though.

"Hey Shun, how 'bout a NetBattle? I really need to do something to get my mind off of the Net's current situation!"

Razor frowned a little, knowing she meant those 'Zahler' guys, but a smirk found its way to his face at the prospect of a fight.

"I'm not sure," Shun said, clearly hesitating. "I'm not that experienced with NetBattles."

"Ah, come on! It'll be a good training for you! Stop whining!" Razor said with a smile.

Quint and Shun looked at each other for a moment, then sighed.

"Alright, I-I'll try," Shun said, gulping down a lump in his throat.

--

Quint and Tsuchi stood almost 5 meters away from each other, both ready to fight whenever their Operators gave the signal. Razor sat on the sidelines, watching everything with an amused look on his face. He was rather curious about the outcome of the battle. Tsuchi had enough experience, but Quint had a good chance too, seeing as his Operator used to be a programmer.

Finally, the words "BATTLE START" zoomed across the ground.

"Tsuchi! Use your whip to get him out of there!!" Sara shouted.

Tsuchi smirked and pulled out her whip, lashing out at the relatively smaller Quint.

"Quint! Dodge it, hurry!!" Shun shouted, and the Navi just managed to avoid the lash.

The brunette gave a growl and lashed out sideways at Quint. The green Navi saw the opportunity and grabbed a hold of the whip in his hand, ignoring the stinging pain starting to form. With a good pull, Tsuchi was sent soaring through the air with a startled yelp.

Razor watched the fight with amusement as blows were extended left and right, and Quint was actually rather good, once he got the hang of the fight. 

Quint hurriedly jumped away from Tsuchi who tried to punch him, nearly making the girl tumble to the ground.

--

"Sword! Slot in!"

--

Quint's arm transformed into a medium sized sword, and he rushed forward at the other Navi with a yell.

--

"LongSword! Slot in!"

--

Tsuchi easily managed to block the smaller Navi's sword, and they started hacking away at each other ferociously. When the chips lost their effect though, the duo looked at each other for a few seconds in confusion, before they began punching and kicking at each other. 

--

Razor smirked at the evident display of anger. But even though fights usually fascinated him, he couldn't help but think of the first time he _really_ fought. Not a NetBattle, but a _real_ battle.

And three guesses with whom.

**__**

*Flashback*

"Be careful, onnechan!" Shine shouted from the sidelines as Ray and Dare walked into the ring of the trainingroom.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that!?" Ray asked angrily, before climbing up on the ring, which was a few feet higher than the floor.

Dare followed shortly after and looked around the ring. There was nothing to restrain him if he came too close to the edge, but luckily, there were mats laid out on the floor to break his fall, if he were to tumble over the edge. His hair had been tied back in a ponytail, because Ray warned him that it might fall in his eyes if he didn't. Ray had braided it to avoid the same, seeing as her hair was a lot longer than his.

Ray did some easy warming-ups, and Dare followed her example, excitement running through him at the thought of his first battle.

--

Once they were ready, Ray rubbed her wrist, a strange habit she had for when she was ready to fight, and said: "I won't go all-out, but only because you haven't finished training yet."

Dare once again heard the challenge, and he chuckled, saying: "Fine, but if I whoop your ass, it's your fault."

Ray's brows furrowed, but she said nothing. Instead, she crouched down into a fighting stance, and Dare quickly did the same, not planning to be caught of guard.

Mike and Shine watched from the sidelines, the tension making their bodies shiver.

Dare's foot moved less than an inch, before he was shot off toward the gray-haired girl. Ray frowned and shot forward, avoiding Dare's punch and aiming a kick for his midsection. Dare managed to grab her wrist and hurled her over his head. He slammed Ray into the ground, who gave a yelp of surprise, but suddenly grabbed his collar and slammed him face-first into the ground.

Dare hissed in pain as his forehead bled and his head pounded like crazy. His elbow shot out and hit Ray against her nose, sending her back with a cry as she held her hands against her bleeding nose.

"Shimatta!" she cursed angrily, before rolling aside to avoid a kick to her face.

She easily kicked his feet away from under him, sending him crashing to the ground. 

**__**

*End Flashback*

Razor blinked, and realized he couldn't remember how it was supposed to end. He couldn't remember how the fight ended or who won. He shrugged it off, thinking it was nothing.

Razor finally looked up again, and noticed Tsuchi was down on the ground, tending a sore head by the looks of it. 

--

"High Cannon! Slot in!"

--

She shot up again, and fired a bolt of plasma at the other Navi.

--

"Barrier! Slot in!"

--

The hit clanged right off. Quint gave a cocky little smile, and Tsuchi fumed in anger. She was about to lash out again…

"All right! Enough you two!!" Razor finally shouted.

The duo looked at him in confusion.

"I thought we were heading for Koto, and at this rate, we'll never get there!" Razor explained.

Mike slapped himself to his head and said: "Stupid! That's right! Razor, let's go!"

"Roger!"

"Quint, you can go along if you want to," Shun said calmly.

"Okay!"

"Tsuchi?" Sara asked.

"I'm in!"

--

After quite some running, the three Navis finally arrived at KotoSquare, with Quint and Tsuchi out of breath. Razor looked at them a little oddly, then shrugged and started walking, with the two Navis on his heels.

They simply walked about for a while, just looking around and not really doing anything. 

"Hey Razor," Tsuchi said suddenly.

"Yeah?" Razor asked, looking at the girl.

"Have you ever lost a battle?" she asked.

Razor raised an eyebrow at her and said: "Only against Muramasa, but then again, she was way stronger than I was at that time."

"Muramasa… wasn't that that friend of yours?" Shun asked.

Mike nodded and said: "That's right. Her Operator's named Shine, and she's one of my best friends. Most likely because we both have Navis that really enjoy fighting."

"Hey!!" Razor said, but he wasn't as angry as he seemed.

"So, she's your girlfriend?" Quint asked, and Razor nearly lost his footing.

"My-my WHAT?!?! You MUST be kidding!!! Me and-and--- the squirt!? Give me a break!!" Razor said, clearly not liking the idea of being in a relationship with Muramasa.

"Whoa! Sorry!" Quint said, holding up his hands in defense.

Tsuchi looked a little confused, and asked: "She's not?"

Razor shook his head and said: "She's a nice girl once you get to know her, but she's just not my type. And besides, Muramasa's not very fond of that type of stuff. 'Too much fluff for me'," Razor mimicked Muramasa's way of talking, including her accent.

Tsuchi nodded softly, and Quint looked a little strangely at Razor for a moment.

"By the way, Razor," Mike said, suddenly remembering something. "If you happen to run across the chip-store, mind getting that you-know-what?"

"Wha----OH!! Right! I'll see if they have it delivered already once we get by," Razor said.

The others were left in the dark, but it was most likely something they didn't want to share with them, or it wasn't any of their business to know.

--

"Could you two wait here for a sec? I won't take long," Razor said, and walked into the chip-shop.

"What do you think he's doing in there?" Tsuchi asked.

"I don't know. He never said that, remember?" Quint said calmly, leaning against the wall.

Tsuchi growled and did the same, only as far away from Quint as possible.

--

Razor calmly walked into the store, and looked around for a moment, noting that it wasn't really crowded.

"Hey there! Can I--oh! Mr. Razor! Good to see you again!" the girl clerk said upon seeing him. "I guess you're here about the chip you've been searching?"

Razor simply nodded. He'd been here a few times before, and they didn't have the chip back then, but they said they'd try to find one for him.

"So, do you have it?" he asked.

"As a matter of fact!" the clerk said, and gave him the correct data, in exchange for the money Razor handed over.

"Thanks," Razor said.

"No problem!" the girl Navi said and went to the back to do some cleaning up no doubt.

Razor turned around to walk out, when he banged straight into somebody. He seemed to do that a lot lately.

"Ow!" the girl said, rubbing her sore head, having run straight into his chest.

"Sorry, didn't see you there," Razor said, taking the girl in quickly.

The girl had deep sapphire blue eyes and golden blond hair in a low ponytail tied by a red ribbon. Her body was covered in white spandex and she had a ruby-red armor over it with black rims covering her chest, legs and from the hands to elbows. Around her waist was a belt with a sheath containing one fancy looking sword. On her head rested a ruby-red and white helmet with a set of black square-goggles just on her forehead, which could most likely cover her eyes, though he wasn't sure why. Also, her Navi-Symbol was practically identical to MegaMan's, only it was white with a red streak.

The girl looked up and smiled a little, saying: "No, it was me fault. I shoul've watched where I was goin'."

"Ah, don't bother. You here to buy a chip?"

"Yep. Dynawave ta be exact. Ye?"

"Can't say. It's a present for a friend's birthday, and I don't want her to find out at anyway through others."

"Oh. Okay. I guess tha's a good 'nough reason."

"By the way, you Australian or something?"

"Why yeah, how'd ya guess?"

"Your accent gave it away."

"Aha! Maybe I oughta do somethin' 'bout tha."

"You shouldn't. If you do that, you change who you are. So, my advice, don't change anything about yourself."

"Thanks fer the advice. By the by, name's Sonica, who're ye?"

"Razor. And I had better get going. My friends are waiting outside."

"Ya mean them two squabblin' kids outside?" Sonica asked, flicking her thumb over her shoulder.

"Huh??" Razor wondered aloud and rushed outside.

Sonica simply watched through the shop-window.

--

Once outside, Razor was dumbfounded to see Quint and Tsuchi arguing with each other like little children. He couldn't make out anything they were saying, because they were shouting right through one another, making them both inaudible. Razor looked back and forth between them both, unable to understand what this was all about.

"Mike??"

"I don't know what happened, Razor. One moment they were fine, the next they're at each other's throat."

Razor blinked, staring at the fighting duo, unable to get a single word in between.

Finally, Razor couldn't stand it anymore, and his fists clenched in anger and his eyebrows furrowed. He grasped one of his Busters --- and fired into the air, making the duo fall silent and look in his direction. They instantly paled at the sight of his angry face.

"What's the matter with you two?!" Razor demanded. "You're acting like a bunch of kids!!"

Quint and Tsuchi looked at the ground in shame, and their Operators did too, because they could've put a stop to it, yet hadn't. 

Razor placed his Buster back where it belonged and said: "Now let's go. And no more arguing! Understood?!"

The two Navis simply nodded, and they were off again.

--

Way later that evening, Mike finally dropped back on his bed, exhausted. Razor simply sat down in his PET, still looking a little grumpy, though it wasn't as bad as before. Silence reigned amongst the duo, which seemed almost impenetrable.

It seemed impossible to speak in a silence so thick, which is why neither even tried. 

Mike seemed to be asleep, with his eyes closed, steady breathing, and unmoving body.

Razor on the other hand, seemed to be deep in thought, his eyes foggy and unfocussed.

--

__

"Ugh. You're a new face around here. Where're you from?"

"Uh… Netopia."

"Whoa! We rarely get visitors from Netopia. So what're you doing here?"

"Just uh… just cruising around. I needed to get away from my parents. See the world and stuff."

"Aha. I have that urge too. I've traveled back and forth quite some time, but I finally resided here."

"Ah."

"So, you've got friends here in Australia?"

"Uh… no."

"Then I'll have to fix that. My name's Michael Necros, but everyone calls me Mike."

"Um… I'm Shine Goldlane. Just… Shine to friends."

"Pleased to meet you."

--

"………Mike?"

"Hmmhmm?"

"You awake?"

"HUWAA!! I am now. Wassup?"

"……I uh… no, no, never mind."

"Hey, if something's the matter, you can tell me!"

"…………"

"Razor…"

"I don't think it was a coincidence we were sent here…"

"Huh?? Say what?"

"……There's a meaning to our stay here, but I can't understand what it is. I'm confused. Nothing makes sense anymore."

"Nothing ever made sense in the first place. But… why do you think it wasn't a coincidence?"

"Think about it… why are Shine and Ray here? Who sent them here? Who sent _us_ here? I just… it's too much for my head to take."

"Whoa! Don't blow a circuit there! I'm sure we'll figure it out one way or another."

"…………"

"…………What's the time?"

"11:30 PM."

"Ah, no wonder I'm tired."

"I'm heading for the Net, okay?"

"Be careful."

"Sure, whatever."

--

Razor continued to roam the Net, not being able to do anything else, for all viruses had vanished for some reason. The Net was quiet, but he liked it that way. It gave him the chance to think things over once or twice.

He really had the feeling something bad was going to happen soon, and that the only reason they were there was to stop whatever that was from happening. He hated being someone else's pawn, and refused to be taken advantage of. But it was rather clear that he had little choice in the matter. And worst about everything, was that his memory was starting to fail him for some reason. Previously, he could easily remember his first meeting with Ray, and now he had even difficulty remembering what she wore that day

Still, he wondered. Why were they sent there? What was their purpose?

………………

He had absolutely no idea!

--

As he continued on through the Net, cold shivers started running up and down his spinal cord, though he couldn't understand why. His head started pounding like mad, like someone had hit it with a sledgehammer.

Razor looked around, but there was nothing around him as he walked, and his quiet footsteps was the only thing he could hear. It was just… creepy. Usually, there are always either viruses, or Navis around, no matter what the time of the day was. It just freaked him out.

"Razor!!" a familiar voice said, and he turned around.

"Quint?? What are you doing here?" Razor asked.

"Never mind that! We've got trouble! Trust me!"

Razor was confused. What was going on?

The cold seemed to increase with each step they took as they ran, he wasn't sure whereto. It was almost like it was trying to freeze him, freeze him with an anger beyond human belief, iced by a thick layer of hatred.

………Hatred and anger… uh oh…

'Ah shit!!' Razor thought in anger, and together with Quint, they sped up, rushing off for the source.

--

The closer they got, the more his head began to pound, and the more his body seemed to freeze, but he forced his body onward. He couldn't let that bastard destroy the Net! No way in hell!

Suddenly, the duo stopped when they heard a shout.

"S-s-s-SHUT UP!!! JUST SHUT UP!!!" a girl's voice screamed, filled with desperation, disbelief, and anger.

"Muramasa!! Oh god! What's _she_ doing here?!" Razor whispered, but Quint heard.

"That's your friend??"

Razor simply nodded.  
"Shine would never betray me!! She couldn't!!! And your Operator didn't betray you!!! I know he didn't!!!" 

"You know NOTHING of me!! So stop making false conclusions!!"

Razor shuddered at the sheer anger and hatred in the guy's voice alone!

"Oh really?! Well I know for one thing that that aura of yours won't be able to handle THIS!!!"

And with that last word, followed the sound of a medium-sized explosion, a scream of absolute pain, and a loud smashing sound as the Net shook lightly. 

"That does it!!! Prepare to face a painful deletion!!!"

"Ha!! I hope you're ready to face your maker!!! BRING IT ON!!!"

"Oh god! We have to stop her!!" Razor shouted.

"Right! Let's go!!"

-- 

****

D. Zero: I am NOT a Maverick!

Z: What? You still going on about that?! You're a major badass and you keep whining about something like that?

D. Zero: I am NOT a Maverick, and I do NOT whine!

Z: 0_o Huh??? What the…!! Miranda!!!

Miri-chan: Huh? Something wrong sis?

Z: Did you give bro that refilling cup?

Miri-chan: What refilling cup??

Z: The one I always keep in my cupboard? Under lock and key?

Miri-chan: Oh that one! ^_^ No, Chibi-chan did.

Chibi-chan: -_-;; Traitor.

Z: :( You IDIOT!!! I keep that thing there for a reason you know!!!

Chibi-chan: Why?? What's the matter with it??

Z: Just LOOK at him!! [points at D. Zero]

D. Zero: [takes another drink and tumbles to the floor] …Owchie… tha smars…

D. X: O.O

Miri-chan: O_O

Chibi-chan: OO;; Uh… oopsie…

Z: Yeah! "Oopsie". [charges Buster]

Chibi-chan: YIPES!!! [runs off with a plasma bolt on her tail]

Z: Dammit Zero! Quit drinking!! You've had more than enough!! [snatches cup from his hand]

D. Zero: 'Ey… ah was usin' da…! [snatches it back] No gettin' MA cup!! No get!!

D. X: O.O;; Christ, he's really drunk!

Z: ………I'm going to kill Chibiki next time I see her.

D. X: What about Zero??

Z: Bring him to his room, and once he's asleep, please give me that back [points at cup] and DON'T drink it yourself!

D. X: Damn! Why not??

Z: Strong stuff, that's all I'm gonna say.

D. Zero: [sings "We're going to Ibiza" in a slur]

D. X: o_o;; Come on Zero. Let's get you to bed.

D. Zero: [stops singing] Bed??? Bed's feeeeeer weaklings… I ain't weak so I ain't goin' to bed!!

D. X: Oh yes you are!!!

D. Zero: Oh no I ain't!!!

Z: Oh yes you are!!!

D. Zero: Oh no I ain't!!!

Miri-chan: Oh yes you are!!!

D. Zero: Oh no I ain't!!!

D. X: Oh no you ain't!!

D. Zero: Oh yes I am!! …!! 'Ey!!

D. X: ^^

Z: Get him outta here, X.

D. X: [throws struggling D. Zero over his shoulder with a lot of trouble keeping him there]

D. Zero: 'Ey!! Pumme down!!! Lemme go!!! Leamme 'lone!!! [kicks around and punches fists against D. X's back]

D. X: Ow!!! Zero!! Cut it out!!! [heads for D. Zero's bedroom]

Z: ……:) Oh uh, X?

D. X: [turns to Z] Yeah?

Z: I suggest you chain him up so he won't get away that quickly.

D. X: O.O;;;;;; Z… you-you!!!

Z: Me what? Hmmm?

D. X: -_-;;;; Nothing. [walks away mumbling] damn yaoi fangirl…

Z: I know I am.

D. X: [stiffens]

D. Zero: 'Ey? Why'd we stoooooooop?? Wha's goin' on???

D. X: N-nothing. [blushes and heads for D. Zero's room again]

Z: ^_^ Anyone want a story about those two? (Damn, that's one long Author's note!)

D. X: [pokes head into the room] Hey Z, that Sonica lass huh?

Z: Hmm? Yeah, what's wrong with her?

D. X: Well, she reminds me a bit of Laze. I mean, with the hair and eyes and stuff.

Z: Well, the accent makes her look all the more like her, eh? Now go entertain yerself!

D. X: [blushes furiously] ZEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAL!!!!

Z: [snickers and pushes D. X into D. Zero's room] Get get get!!! [closes door behind him] There!

Miri-chan: ……Onnechan… you're sick!

Z: [snickers maniacally] I know. Heheh. SO! You know where I left my cam?

Miri-chan: OO;;; O-o-onnechan…??

Z: Never mind! I see it! [picks up camcorder and leaves]

Miri-chan: ……………X's gonna kill her when he finds out. [turns to readers] I think RCM was right. Sis _is_ going Maverick. 

--

SNEAK-PEAK OF: Hell Freezes Over

__

"What are you staring at, shrimp?!" 

"Staring!?!? Don't flatter yourself! I was just wondering where I'd see someone as ugly as you before, but I guess my brain made me forget to safe my mind the torment!" 

"Good one."

"Get over here and say that to my face you coward!!"

"Rather not. I can smell your bad breath from all the way over here! When's the last time you brushed your teeth?!"

"Why you little!! …… Well, whatever. You might be good with words, but I'll bet you know nothing about NetBattling."

"You wanna test that theory?" 

"Gladly."


	15. Chapter V Part 3: Hell Freezes Over

**__**

D. X: Okay, it's up to Ragna and Jinn now.

E-kun: And because Z is too busy studying, we're doing the reviews right now.

------------------------------------

TJ and Rikumon: _E-kun: "OO???"_

Youkai Ryuu: _D. X: "Most likely she's gonna pair up Zero and me with somebody, but she wants to know from the reviewers who to pair us up with."_

Red Chaos Mage: _Miri-chan: "Sis might be a Maverick, but at least she's a smart one! Sis really studies hard! Just lookie!!" Z: "[studying] . . . . . . . ." Miri-chan: "See?"_

Pyrogirll23: _L-chan: "I am. But I think that Z's most likely talking about the Laze from FOTU, and that's a DBZ story. If you know that, go read it, if you have the time for that. Chapters are even longer than they are here!"_

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter V Part 3: Hell Freezes Over

"It's goddamn hot in here!"

"Ugh! You don't have to tell me!"

"How can you even tell?"

"I don't know, but I really wish I couldn't!"

"I can imagine why."

--

Jinn splashed his face with ice-cold water, smiling amidst all the cold. It didn't bother him now, not at all. After shutting off the water, the boy wiped his face off on a towel, and shook the remaining drops from his hair. He raked his hands through the short mass of hair, and headed back to the bedroom, picking up his PET from the bed.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Jinn asked his Navi.

"No idea," Ragna said softly. "We could go look around the city for awhile."

Jinn smiled and said: "Anything to get out of here. Let's go!"

--

The mall was packed with multiple people walking back and forth, some walking into stores to shop, and others just walking around, looking around here and there. Jinn was one of the latter, just peeking in here and there, watching people look around, asking others for opinions, or simply glancing at something longingly, and then pass with a sad backward glance. 

He shook his head, and was about to pass another shop --- but stopped dead when he peeked through the window.

'Shine???' Jinn wondered as he looked on in curiosity.

Shine seemed to be talking to a boy a few years her senior, dressed in nothing but black. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but at a certain point, Chaud intervened and the boy stalked off, apparently seething mad. When the boy stormed out, he noticed Jinn looking at him oddly, and he whipped his head around to glare at him.

Jinn's blood seemed to freeze on the spot and all of the sudden, he felt as if the entire world had just dropped the temperature to below zero degrees. Those vicious orbs of blue radiated so much anger and hate, that it was almost unnatural. The pupils were so small that they were barely visible unless you stood within a few inches away from him, and with this guy, that was something that was to be avoided.

"What are you staring at, shrimp?!" he demanded in absolute anger.

At being called a shrimp, Jinn's fear evaporated and he snarled. If there was one thing he hated, it was people making fun of his height. 

"Staring!?!? Don't flatter yourself! I was just wondering where I'd seen someone as ugly as you before, but I guess my brain made me forget to safe my mind the torment!" Jinn said back.

Ragna chuckled and mumbled: "Good one."

The boy gaped in shock at that Jinn had even _dared_ to open his mouth, but then he sneered and said: "Get over here and say that to my face you coward!!"

Jinn shook his head and said: "Rather not. I can smell your bad breath from all the way over here! When's the last time you brushed your teeth?!"

"Why you little!!" the boy hissed, then seemed to calm and straightened up with a chuckle. "Well, whatever. You might be good with words, but I'll bet you know nothing about NetBattling."

"You wanna test that theory?" Jinn asked with a smirk.

"Gladly."

--

"Plug in!! Ragnarok.EXE!!! Transmission!!!"

"Activate!! Zero Omega!!! Transmission!!!"

--

Both Navis crashed down into the arena, one looking neutral and the other looking seriously pissed off. 

Ragna looked at the black and red Navi with a calm look, though behind that façade, he was thinking things like: 'What the heck? I thought Zero was a virus in MMBN, not an average Navi like this guy.'

Still, there wasn't much time to think about stuff like that, seeing as they were about to start the fight. Ragna held up his hands, as though he was about to grab something in front of him, and within seconds, his lance appeared, and he grabbed it tightly in both hands. Zero blinked at the gesture, but finally scoffed and reached behind his back, grasping the hilt he had there, and pulled it out, activating a furious deep purple beam-saber. 

Ragna figured he'd do that. Because hey, what's Zero without his Z-saber?

Zero held up his saber with both hands in a horizontal line at a distance from his face, but to Ragna, his eyes were just visible over the saber. Ragna held his lance to his left side, the point aimed menacingly at Zero, who didn't even acknowledge it. 

--

**__**

BATTLE START

--

Almost instantly, Zero faded out of sight, and Ragna nearly panicked, but was wise enough to keep his cool, and managed to calm. His calm green eyes moved back and forth slowly, not moving or making a sound. 

A sudden whoosh ran up his spine, and he swiveled around, and raised his lance with both hands to block Zero's saber. The blonde growled in anger, and jumped back. He vanished again.

"Jinn!!" Ragna shouted.

"I know!! I know!!" Jinn said. "Two can play this game!!"

--

"Area Steal!! Slot in!!"

--

With the same fashion as Zero, Ragna vanished. Almost instantly, he was greeted by a saber lashing out at his face. He simply raised his lance, and easily blocked. But now, he countered by lashing out with a sideways lash, making Zero jump back with a startled cry. With a growl and a scream, Zero jumped back however. Ragna screamed as well and they're weapons clashed with a furious clang and a bright explosion of light.

--

"CHRIST!!!" the black haired boy exclaimed as he shielded his eyes behind his arms. "Hey Zero, watch it!! I still have to follow the battle!!!"

Jinn didn't even squint or close his eyes. His eyes were special that way. They adapted so fast it was almost unnatural, so he hardly had any troubles following the fight. At the moment, the 'swordfight' had become a full-out battle, involving kicks and punches thrown in every direction, trying to hit each other, though neither was succeeding. Finally they kicked off against each other and landed quite some distance away.

--

Ragna let out a furious cry and charged at the blonde, who ran at him at full throttle, screaming at the top of his lungs. They met in the center of the arena, and Zero immediately started his assault, sending a flurry of punches aimed at Ragna's face, who kept stepping away or just moving his head aside. But when Zero also aimed elsewhere beside his face, Ragna had to do a lot more dodging, but he managed (somehow).

The red- and green-armored Navi took one leap back and quickly swung his right leg at Zero's head, who tried to use his arm to block. Didn't work out as the power behind the blow proved to be too much and he was sent soaring through the air with a cry. He crashed straight through a large rock as if it was carton, smashing into the ground and causing dust to rise up, shrouding everything in a thick veil. 

Dust hung heavy in the air as Ragna calmly walked through the dust, and suddenly, he was reminded of the fight between Sigma and (Maverick) Zero. This seemed practically identical. He smirked.

But not for long.

Jinn seemed to have the same idea.

--

"Red Tsunami!! Slot in!!!"

--

Just as Ragna heard Zero rise, he slammed his palm against the ground, and from everywhere around his fingers, a blood red tsunami rose up, smashing straight into the black Navi. The burning waves swallowed him whole, and once again, sent him away.

But this time, Zero slammed his hands down into the ground, grasping the ground tightly with his fingers, causing him to slow down, as he crouched against the violent waves, his eyes lighting up, and clearly visible, even in the red of the waves. 

--

Jinn looked up, and instantly felt his entire body freeze up once more. But this time, he almost stopped breathing because of the cold running through his body. 

The other boy's eyes seemed to spark in the artificial light, and, it could be just Jinn, but it almost seemed as if there were red specks appearing all over his iris as well as his pupils. And in that very instant, it seemed as though, not only the world froze around him, it seemed as if hell itself had completely frozen up with just one glare aimed his way.

The pupils were dilated, the eyes were narrowed into mere slits, and the eyebrows lowered in visible rage. But even so, it wasn't clear at what that rage was directed. 

It was just… there.

Almost as if… as if that rage belonged there, in the eyes of a boy almost two years his senior. 

Well… boy… young man would be more appropriate actually.

--

"Dash Thrusters. Slot in."

--

With unimaginable speed, Zero shot out from the waves, and before Ragna could react, a fist hit him square to his jaw, sending him away within seconds. He crashed into the ground, and Zero landed on the ground with one foot, before planting the other down firmly.

Ragna rubbed his jaw and looked up, suddenly reminded of when Razor had kicked him there. The spot had still been sensitive, so it hurt quite badly.

When he saw Zero, he too, felt like the world froze. Chills raced up and down his spine as Zero glared at him, with glowing red eyes, removing everything else of his eyes save for the glowing red, like two scorching pieces of ember.

--

"Zero," the young man said calmly, but his voice was laced with ice, seeming to freeze everything until it would shatter from the intensity. "Get ready."

"Yes, Sir X," Zero hissed as Ragna struggled to his feet.

X pulled out four different chips, but Jinn only recognized one of them, namely the Navi Scout or AntiNavi chip. The others he didn't recognize.

One of them held a picture of a thin, blue saber, the second a wider, lime green saber, and the third held a large purple sword on it.

Suddenly it registered to Jinn what he was about to do.

--

"PROGRAM ADVANCE!!!!" Zero and X shouted at the exact same time, their voices fusing as one, increasing the chilling effect their voices already had. 

--

"Navi Scout!! Slot in!!

--

A dark purple hue surrounded the black Navi, giving him a terrifying look. It made Ragna gulp in slight fear.

--

"Delta Shira!! Slot in!!"

--

Zero's right hand shifted into a thin blue saber, crackling with blue energy bolts. Ragna frowned and gritted his teeth. This wasn't going to be good.

--

"Zero Shira!! Slot in!!"

--

Jinn watched as Zero's left hand shifted into a green saber and his thoughts raced. What was he going to do now?!

Suddenly it dawned to him, and he smirked.

--

"Omega Shira!! Slot in!!"

--

Zero brought both sabers above his hands, making them crackle with electricity, as they glowed and morphed into a single sword, freeing his hands in the process. Ragna paled at the sight of the sizzling sword, taking a hesitant step back and pulling his lance back out.

--

"MEGA-Z-SABER!!! ACTIVATE!!!!"

--

Jinn heard his cue and quickly pulled out a single chip.

--

Zero lashed out at the air in front of him, and the large shockwave shot straight at the red and green Navi, who was too petrified to move.

--

"I don't think so!!!" Jinn shouted. "Ojizousan!!! Slot in!!!"

--

A weird-looking statue was suddenly standing between the wave and Ragna, who blinked in absolute confusion. As the wave hit the statue --- it absorbed the entire attack!!!

Zero and X gasped as their attack was dispatched without as much as a flick of the wrist.

The statue's eyes suddenly snapped open, and it seemed rather angry. But how a statue could be angry, we'll most likely never know. 

The black Navi gave a yell as he was zapped with a strong blast of lightning, electrocuting him, badly!!

--

X yowled, as it was clear he too was being electrocuted, and Jinn just stared, until the attack stopped and X was forced to lean on the arena, panting for breath. Sweat trickled from X's forehead, as he tried to catch his breath, eyes shut tightly.

'He can… synchronize with his Navi?!!?' Jinn found himself thinking. 'No way!!'

--

Zero too was trying to catch his breath, and Ragna blinked as the statue dissolved into blue particles. 

Finally, the silence was broken.

"It's gonna take a lot more than a simply PA to take us down," Jinn said, his voice calm and composed, though he was still a little shocked.

X growled, and at the same time, so did Zero. Apparently, they weren't de-synchronized yet.

"So I noticed," they said at the same time, and straightened up. "And it's going to take a whole lot more than cheap tricks to take us down."

Just to tease, Jinn smirked and said: "So I noticed."

X growled in absolute anger, his eyes flashing to red briefly, but Jinn saw it, and blinked in confusion.

"I'll get you… next time. Plug out."

Zero vanished from the arena, X pulled out his PET, and without another word, he left, vanishing in the shadows of the cities, going who-knows-where.

--

Jinn lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. The heat didn't even bother him any more. Not after that fight with X.

His limbs were still frozen solid, and they froze up again when he again thought of the peculiar NetBattler. There was something terribly wrong about him. But he couldn't understand what. It had taken all his willpower to get back, and he had hardly been able to put Ragna's PET in the recharger and drop down on the bed. 

Silence lingered in the room, neither Operator, nor Navi, feeling they could break it.

--

__

"Hey, you okay?"

"……No."

"What's the matter?"

"………"

"Look, most times, talking helps."

"Not with me!!! Talking won't get her back!! She's gone and she can't come back!! Just-just---GO AWAY!!!"

"Wait!!! Shine, wait!!!"

--

"Wait!!!" Jinn shouted, shooting up in bed.

He blinked, looking around the room in confusion. He moved a hand through his hair, not understanding what was going on. 

That dream… it didn't make any sense. He… he never had that kind of conversation with Shine before. He met Shine and Raye at the same time, and they were friends since the beginning. 

………Weren't they?

'That's funny,' he thought, confused. 'My memory's getting foggy.'

Jinn tried to remember as much as he could, but the more he tried, the more his memory became fogged up, and he couldn't clear it.

"ACK!!! DAMMIT!!!" he cursed angrily, grasping his head.

"Jinn? You alright?"

Jinn turned to the PET recharger, noting that Ragna was also awake, seemingly as disturbed as Jinn.

"No! I think my memory's messed up or something!"

"You too?!?!"

"Huh?!?! What do you--!! Ragna! Where and when did we meet Shine and Raye!?!"

Ragna opened his mouth, then closed it, and started thinking.

"……………DAMN!!!"

"Oh shit. This can't be good."

"No kidding!"

"How come we can't remember where and when we met Shine and Muramasa?!"

"Muramasa??? I thought you always called her Raye?"

"Eh??? ………Hell!! What's the matter with us?!"

"I wish I knew. But I need to get out!! Now!!"

"I agree, let's go!!"

Jinn grabbed his PET and raced out of the hotel.

--

Outside, it was still burning hot, but right now, Jinn could've cared less. He tried to picture Raye again and again, but all he got was Muramasa, and he had never before seen her, so how could he know it was her? Slowly, the name Raye began to slip from his mind, only to be constantly replaced by Muramasa. 

No longer could he focus on the once cheerful smile Raye had had as a kid, or the joyous laughter coming from her small throat. All he saw was Muramasa's cocky smirk, and all he heard was her cold, heartless laughter. 

Ragna suffered from the same, unable to remember the words Raye had spoken to him and Jinn so long ago. Everything became replaced with words he never heard her say before, and conversations that he had never been in before.

They were starting to forget their lives as they had been.

And most likely, if they were able to remember later on, they would be pissed off. But as they continued on, the past vanished from their grasp with every step they took.

--

"Heat Buoy!! Slot in!!" Jinn said, and slid in the destined chip.

Ragna's arm shifted into a Buster, and he hurriedly took aim and fired at the Mushy, hitting the four others at the very same time.

He blew the smoke from the barrel, before it shifted back to his arm and he turned to the examiner, who seemed satisfied.

"Very good, I'm impressed," the Navi said.

"Thank you," Ragna said politely. "I had a friend of mine persuade me to take this test. To be honest, I didn't think I'd pass the test."

The examiner smiled and said: "Well, you should thank your friend then. Because you passed all tests with ease."

Ragna shrugged.

"I guess."

Once outside of the Center, Jinn pulled out his PET with pride and said: "Well, looks like we're Officials now."

"Indeed. I just hope we don't have to work with Chaud. I've heard some pretty bad rumors about him," Ragna mumbled.

"I know what you mean," Jinn said. "But Shine seems to trust him. So I suppose we should too."

"You're asking for the impossible you know?"

Jinn shrugged with a smile, and started walking again.

--

The air carried the scent of the sea over the land, but didn't get very far, so he walked close to the water, catching the stray droplets of water on his clothes, and enjoying the sweet scent of the salt water. It felt good to relax like this, without worrying about those bastards of the World 3. 

"Hey Ragna, do you think that the shadow will ever be fully destroyed?" he asked.

Ragna instantly understood what he meant, and said: "I don't know. You said it yourself. There can't be light without shadow, but when there's no light, everything will shroud in darkness."

"I know," Jinn said. "But… it would be nice, huh? I mean, a world without war."

Ragna smiled, and that was all the answer he gave, and that was plenty.

--

The red and green Navi looked around in wonder, and finally picked out a piece of data.

"What are we looking for anyway?" Ragna asked.

They had gone to the library just to check it out. There were no books there in open view. Instead, you had to search for data on the library's Net, and once you had made your choice, you could pick up the book at the reception. 

It was a great way to stop book-thieves.

"Nothing in particular. Just something to read," Jinn responded.

Ragna nodded and continued on after putting the data back, searching for some good reading-material. After finding nothing in the section he was currently in, he moved on to the next, checking out new data here and there. They were in no rush, so there was no reason to be rushed and edgy, and they both knew it.

"Hey, didn't Shine say we should read up on the history of the Net?" Ragna suddenly asked.

Jinn thought for a moment, eyes directed to the ceiling, and his lips pursed together. He finally looked at his Navi again, and smiled.

"You're right, she did," he said. "Why? You see it around?"

"Yep!" Ragna said, and pulled out a piece of data.

Jinn smiled and said: "Okay. Let's go get the book then."

"Roger!"

--

The sun was already starting its descend when they headed back to the hotel, but neither could really care. They'd rather have the heat back than the chilling cold that belonged to a certain black-haired, blue-eyed NetBattler. Anything was better than that.

Jinn blew a strand of hair from his eyes and watched a few kids play around, laughing and chasing each other around. He stopped as a pair of kids started running around his legs as if he were just another obstacle in their paths. Jinn didn't bother, and simply watched, until they finally ran off.

With a smile playing on his lips, he restarted his walk back toward the hotel. Usually it didn't take this long, but at the moment, Jinn didn't feel like rushing. 

The sun continued to set, and the darkness began to settle in. Jinn suddenly came to a sudden stop, feeling a violent chill run up and down his spine, as if the world froze over. His ears perked in alert, and his eyes flashed back and forth, as if he expected something to jump him any second.

But the only sound around was the wind, seeing as he was rather far away from the bustling city. Still, the feeling wouldn't go away. 

"Jinn??" Ragna asked, confused.

"Ssh," Jinn hissed softly.

He kept on alert, but nothing else but the wind was heard in light of the setting sun. After about a minute, Jinn finally ordered his legs to move, and he walked off again, not noting the eyes following him from the dark alley.

--

A quiet growl erupted from his throat and was slightly muffled through his gritted teeth. His icy ocean-blue eyes glared daggers, before he whirled around, stomping off into the alley. The other people in the alley paled as he stomped through, and everyone got out of his path, not wanting to be on the receiving end of anything the man could throw at them. 

A garbage can suddenly rolled into his way, and before anyone knew it, a loud metal crackle was heard. The garbage can crashed into a wall, a definite indent of a leg in it, before it fell to the ground.

Two piercing blue eyes suddenly flashed into a sea of red flames, but it only lasted a second, and with the stealth of the shadow, he vanished into the darkness, without a trace.

--

Jinn calmly closed the door and placed his PET in the recharger, and sat down on the bed with a sigh. Ragna was silent for awhile, and just sat there for a moment, thinking.

"…Hey, Jinn?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think about this 'Zahler' group?"

"Same as I think about all those others. Bunch of loons trying to achieve the impossible."

"Hmmhmm. So, you're sure they'll lose?"

"Yep, as long as Lan and MegaMan are around, everything's just honky-dory."

"Well, I guess that's correct. But still…"

"I know, I know. Expect the unexpected."

"Yeah. Do you think Shine and Muramasa are prepared for an attack?"

"Most likely. But they can't be alert 24-7. No one can."

"Got that right. And that Mike seems to be pretty tough too."

"Quite."

"Hey Jinn, can I cruise around the Net for awhile?"

"Sure, I might as well read that book then. But be careful."

"I will, don't worry."

After plugging the PET in on the Net, Ragna vanished, leaving the boy alone in the room. Jinn didn't bother and pulled the book he'd borrowed from the library from his backpack. He then flung himself down on the bed, and flipped open the book, becoming engrossed with the book, forgetting the world around him completely.

--

Ragna on the other hand, was simply busting a few viruses here and there. He had really needed something to do, seeing as the Net was strangely deserted. There were barely any Navis around, and if there were, they were only somewhere around the cities. 

It was strange, but he had absolutely no idea what could be the cause of it. Not long after, all viruses seemed to have vanished without a trace. Even so, Ragna moved on, feeling as though he'd be sorry if he didn't. He had no idea what was wrong, but he figured it couldn't be good.

The more Ragna walked though, the less viruses he encountered. It seemed almost unnatural. 

--

Ragna stopped for a moment and tapped his lance against the ground in slight annoyance. What was going on around here?

With a sigh, he finally decided to head to a place that was bound to be looted with viruses. And if it wasn't, he'd have to inform Jinn.

--

The silence was now really getting to him. No viruses at all. Not even here.

Something was definitely not right here. But if you asked him what was wrong, he wouldn't have been able to answer. It just seemed like something was terribly wrong.

…But how…?

That's when his head began to pound like crazy. He clutched at his scalp, grunting in pain as it seemed as though his heart had just moved to his head. An all too familiar voice only made it worse. 

"S-s-s-SHUT UP!!! JUST SHUT UP!!!" a voice screamed, filled with desperation, disbelief, and anger.

Ragna's eyes shot open in realization as he realized who exactly that was. 

'Muramasa!!! What's she DOING here?!?!' he thought in confusion and fear.

"Shine would never betray me!! She couldn't!!! And your Operator didn't betray you!!! I know he didn't!!!" Muramasa screamed in absolute anger.

"You know NOTHING of me!! So stop making false conclusions!!" a cold, heartless voice screamed, nearly freezing Ragna's data to the spot.

"Oh really?! Well I know for one thing that that aura of yours won't be able to handle THIS!!!"

A loud explosion followed, accompanied by a scream and a loud thud against the ground. Ragna wasted no more time and ran toward the source of the voice, unable to let his friend do this alone.

"That does it!!! Prepare to face a painful deletion!!!"

"Ha!! I hope you're ready to face your maker!!! BRING IT ON!!!"

-- 

****

Z: [studying from a textbook] ……………

Miri-chan: Sis's got a test week coming up.

Enzan: Shouldn't be hard on her, right?

D. X: You don't know Z's economical skills. And you don't want to, believe me.

Chibi-chan: You should be lucky Z's wearing her headset right now.

D. X: No, actually, Z's the one who keeps complaining about it.

Miri-chan: That's true!

Enzan: …By the way, where's that other robot that's usually here?

D. X: That's REPLOID!! And uh… Zero's in his room, most likely vomiting all over the place.

Chibi-chan: Damn. And here I thought Reploids couldn't throw up.

D. X: Reploid stomachs digest slower than human stomachs, but it's still rare to see a Reploid puke.

Miri-chan: Booga!

Beta: Nyu!

Enzan: What the hell did he drink anyway?

Miri-chan: Maggie-Fire!! ^_^

D. X: O____O That stuff was Maegens Fire?!?! CRAP!! I'm surprised Zero didn't burn his throat with that stuff!! That stuff's pure alcohol!!!

Chibi-chan: Ah cripes!! Why'd she keep her DBZ stuff in her MM cupboard anyway?!

Delta: Maybe to keep it away from you guys?

D. X: Most likely. [turns head toward D. Zero's room] 

D. Zero: [vomits in his room]

D. X: Well, that doesn't sound good. Could you guys finish this? I think I'm going to help Zero a bit. [walks off]

Miri-chan: Okie-dokie, X-san!! [salutes D. X]

Beta: Nyu!!! [salutes D. X]

D. X: O.O;;; Well… whatever…[leaves room]

Gamma: I seriously didn't need to know that about Reploid stomachs. I'm never eating again right before a mission!

Chibi-chan: Ah, stop worrying about that Gamma! [pours herself some coffee]

Miri-chan: Uh… Z said you're not allowed to have coffee.

Chibi-chan: Well why not? [chug] I'm 14 now, aren't I? [chug] You should respect your…

Enzan: Chibiki??? You okay?

Chibi-chan: Gwahahahaha…

E-kun: Ah crap, not this again!!

Enzan: "Again"??

Chibi-chan: Here in Blue Rocks Springs we train to be janitors…

Miri-chan & Beta: ACK!!!

Gamma: Don't worry. I'll straighten her out. [fires lasers]

Chibi-chan: My hair!

L-chan: Pffffffft!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! [flings arms around waist]

Chibi-chan: You're laughing at my misfortune? I trust you completely now!

E-kun: Hey!! Wasn't us!! That was Gamma!!

Gamma: What the hell do you think I am? A punching bag?

Chibi-chan: I have a disco ball for teeth, fear me!

Delta: Get that goddamn flashlight out of your mouth!!

Chibi-chan: [stands crouched in front of studying Z] Heyas! [giggle] I simply adore this chapter! [giggle] It made me laugh so much that I went into the kitchen, made a pot of coffee and drank it all by myself! [giggle] Me hyper lyper skyper typer viper wiper kyper zipper! WOOT! Riku is hot! lol. Sora is hotter! Cloud is angsty! And Squall is the HOTTEST! Wo! Shake that thang!

Enzan: What the fuck did you do?!

Chibi-chan: I threw my slipper into the swimming pool and I feel so cool!

L-chan & E-kun: Huh????

Miri-chan: Say what?

Chibi-chan: Kyehehe, I'm Mae Yoghetto. Get it? I live in the ghetto… [laughs insanely]

Everyone else: O.o;;;;

Chibi-chan: I feel like ordering off the home channel… mmmm, cheesecrackers…

Delta: What in the…?

Chibi-chan: Cheesecrackers!

Gamma: Go to bed and never drink coffee again Chibiki!

Chibi-chan: [laughs] Bed? BED?! Bed is for the weak! The Feeble! Unlike this man… who had a goat…

L-chan: Oh God…

E-kun: Not that… anything but that…

Chibi-chan: THERE WAS A MAN! WHO HAD A GOAT! HE LOVED THAT GOAT! INDEED HE DID!

E-kun: ACK!!! Miranda!!! Call that Sara woman!! And hurry up!!!

Miri-chan: [rushes off for the phone]

Chibi-chan: THERE WAS A MAN! WHO HAD A GOAT! HE LOVED THAT GOAT! JUST LIKE A KID!

L-chan: GODDAMMIT!! GO TO SLEEP OR NO MORE KINGDOM HEARTS PLAYING!!!!

Chibi-chan: NEVER! SORA MUST SLAY THE EVIL MARSHMELLOW… HARRY PORNHEAD!!!

E-kun: ALRIGHT NOW I'VE HAD IT!!! [morphs hand into Buster and charges]

L-chan: RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! [morphs hand into Buster and charges]

Enzan: Crap! I'm not in the best spot here!! [backs up out off line of fire]

Chibi-chan: Stay away from me you evil snowbird you!

Gamma: DIE!!!

Chibi-chan: Stay back fowl Jawas. I have a stick and I know how to use it!!

Delta: Grrrrrrrrrrrr!!! RAAAAAAAAAAAH!!

L-chan: KYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAA!!

E-kun: HYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAA!!

Gamma: [screeches and lungs]

Beta: [hisses and swipes out]

[fight ensues]

Enzan: ………………[sweatdrop] I'm surrounded by nutcases around here. Well, looks like I'm going to have to finish this then. [sighs] Alright people, don't expect an update anytime soon. Zeal's got that test week coming up, and she's lucky enough she could have this chapter finished amongst her hard studies.

[iron hitting metal rings out a couple of times]

Enzan: Huh?? [looks over]

[L-chan, E-kun, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Chibi-chan are lying on the floor with lumps on their heads] 

[Z stands over them all with a frying pan in hand]

Z: [looks at Enzan] 

Enzan: [stares]

Z: Best way to get them to shut up.

Enzan: Ah.

Forte.EXE: I thought you were studying.

Z: And I thought you weren't even supposed to be here.

Forte.EXE: So?

Z: ……Get outta here!! You got a battle to fight!!

Forte.EXE: I'm going, I'm going. [vanishes]

--

SNEAK-PEAK OF: The Battle From Hell

**__**

NO PREVIEW AVAILABLE


	16. Chapter VI Part 1: The Battle From Hell

****

Z: Alright, I'm back. Whew! Test week's finally over!

Miri-chan: Did you pass??

Z: -_-;; I get the rates next week.

D. Zero: Whoa. Bummer.

------------------------------------

Pyrogirll23: I'll give you a small description then if it'll help any. But I'll send it over in an email, okay?

Song: Ai! I can imagine that! (D. Zero: "Sounds like Dynamo." [CLUNK] "OW!!! WHAT'D I DO?!?!") Don't bother girl. And uh, "D." stands for "Dark", because of their armor (and personality). (D. X: "And what's that supposed to mean?!" D. Zero: "For one, you're not pacifist-sissy like that original X-loser." D. X: "Aha.") And yeah, I have to or I can't enter the exams. So… I really really really REALLY hope I pass! And YES, I'm damn proud of being a yaoi-fangirl!! :) (D. Zero: "Who-boy!" D. X: "Took the words right out of my mouth, Zero.")

GateGuardian3500: Eh??? (D. Zero: "Whoa…" D. X: "Holy sheeeeeeeIIIIT!!") Well… uh… [scratches chin] I just uh… try to position myself in the characters' shoes, see how they think and stuff. But with those two that's going to be hard, seeing as you never know with them. (D. Zero & D. X: "HEY!!!") -_-;;; They know it themselves. Sad huh? (D. Zero: "Ah crap!!" D. X: "Fell for it!")

Red Chaos Mage: I asked bro and X to post it as soon as possible to give you an explanation of why I wouldn't update for a week. Looks like they kept their promise. 

Enigma: …………Well, thanks Enigma, but [hands cake to the rest of the gang] I'm not really into cake. (D. Zero: [around a mouthful of cake] "Ya neva wewe sis!" Z: "Don't talk with your mouth full, Zero.")

TJ and Rikumon: Aha, that explains it.

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter VI Part 1: The Battle From Hell

"I'LL SEE YOU IN HELL YOU BITCH!!!"

"I'VE BEEN THERE ALREADY!!! IF YOU SEE HIM, TELL DEATH I WON'T BE COMING FOR TEA!!!"

"GRRRRRRR!! I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU SWALLOW YOUR FUCKING WORDS ALONG WITH YOUR OTHER APPENDAGES!!!

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!!!"

"JUST WATCH ME!!!!"

--

Muramasa fired another blast of plasma at the other Navi, but Bass easily avoided it and sent a burst of dark red energy at her. Muramasa bent through her legs and catapulted herself into the air, avoiding the blast with ease. Once at the same level with Bass, she fired a medium-sized plasma burst, but Bass vanished before it could even hit.

"Shima---KYAAAA!!!" 

Muramasa's curse was cut off with a scream as a sword lashed out across her back. Bass then kicked her to the ground, but he didn't notice the girl's tail. It lashed out, and grabbed a hold of the Navi's leg. With a yelp, Bass got pulled down along with her.

A punch to his gut knocked the wind out of him, and that single hit cracked his defenses, allowing Muramasa to hit him with everything she had. A barrage of punches and kicks hit him, repeatedly and hard. 

Finally, Bass had enough and began blocking, which he managed easily. They continued kicking and punching as they tumbled down to earth, before kicking off against each other, landing quite a distance away. 

Landing in a crouch, they had one hand on the ground, and the other was used to keep balance as they went through their knees. Their teeth were bared, and their eyes seemed to burn with absolute anger. 

As if ignited by just looking at each other, they lunged again, dashing forward with tremendous speeds, screaming at the top of their lungs.

Their fists connected with a large explosion that could've blinded anyone, but did nothing to the combatants as they continued to fight. With every punch or kick they threw at each other, a new explosion ripped through the air, and it was starting to scorch the Net. 

Several panels already disintegrated at the force of the blows extended, but the fighters barely seemed to notice. 

Bass growled, and Muramasa growled right back at him. He sent a punch at her head with his right fist, but she blocked it easily. Even so, she couldn't dodge or block his left as he punched her against her Navi-Symbol, cracking at least two or three ribs. 

Muramasa's eyes widened at the obvious pain, but her teeth gritted, hard, not allowing the scream to come from her mouth. She gave an angry growl, and punched at him, but he dodged. That's the thing she wanted though, and she instantly delivered a roundhouse-kick to his Navi-Symbol, rising the same reaction as he had with her.

"An eye for an eye, don't ya think?" Muramasa hissed.

Bass glared at her through narrowed eyes and hissed out: "For an average Navi, you're still too weak to defeat me."

Muramasa growled in anger as she clenched her fists.

--

"Uh oh…" Razor mumbled, noticing what had happened.

Quint looked at him in confusion, and asked: "What is it?"

"He's pissing her off. And if there's one thing you shouldn't do with her, it's piss her off."

"How so?"

"Watch."

--

"A-average… Navi…!??! Why… you-you!!" Muramasa hissed, clenching her fists hard enough to draw blood, which she hadn't done since she first 'fought' with Proto. "If I were you, I'd take that back before I _really_ get angry."

"Just too bad you're not me then," Bass hissed with equal ferocity.

With a hiss, Muramasa's fingers changed into large claws, digging into her hands, drawing blood. Her eyebrows lowered until they nearly touched the bridge of her nose, as she bared her teeth in a growl. Her tail twitched violently, clearly indicating that she was angry now.

"Okay, cowboy," Muramasa hissed, her fists opening with a snap, revealing the bloodied claws. "Don't say I didn't warn you!"

--

Ragna watched, knowing that this wouldn't be good. But he'd better not intervene just yet. Because if he knew Muramasa, she would really pissed if he did.

And to be honest, he'd rather keep his data a little longer.

--

With a loud yell, Muramasa was shot at Bass, who never saw it coming. With a startled yelp, he just managed to avoid a claw aimed straight at his face. It was really getting hard for him to dodge whatever he got thrown at him, seeing as Muramasa was one speedy little bitch. 

But still, he finally managed to grab her by her wrists, much to the girl's surprise. Bass jumped up, and kicked Muramasa straight in her face with both feet, letting go of her wrists in the process. With a startled cry, she crashed into a rock not far off.

"Itai…" Muramasa groaned, holding onto her right shoulder with a pained look on her face.

But even so, she shot back up when Bass made a move to walk over, and was instantly back in the battle, surprising everyone who didn't know the might of Muramasa's anger. So naturally, Bass was rather surprised to see her come at him so soon after being hurled aside. 

--

"Jesus Christ!!" Quint exclaimed without giving their position away.

"Once she gets this angry there's nothing that can possibly stop her! She'll fight until she or her opponent is deleted," Razor said.

"No kidding," a familiar voice to Razor's ears said, and he turned around in confusion.

"Ragna?! What are you doing here?!"

"So far, nothing. But if things get out of hand, I'm going to have to step in," Ragna said with a nod at the battle.

Razor frowned angrily and did the same.

'Forget it, buster,' he thought angrily. 'She's MY responsibility! And I'M going to step in if need comes knocking! Just watch me!!'

Quint was confused, but said nothing.

--

Muramasa swung out with her tail, but Bass easily grabbed it in his hand. Thing was, he never counted on the strength Muramasa had in that certain appendage. With a violently strong pull, she literally ripped Bass from his spot with a yelp.

She then gave the black Navi a strong punch to his jaw, sending him back again. But he did release her tail in the process. 

Bass easily stopped in mid-flight, hovering a few inches above the ground, face directed at the ground. He just hung there for awhile, not moving at all. Finally, he looked up, eyes narrowed to slits and burning like seas of fire.

Muramasa growled and her tail whooshed about behind her, hitting the ground and cracking more than one or two panels. Bass glared her down, his arms at his side and his fists clenched as his energy began to circulate around him, or more specifically, his hands.

The deadly silence was something that made everyone but the two combatants wish for _any_ kind of sound. Anything at all.

Within only milliseconds, Bass' hands suddenly morphed into a set of Busters, and he started firing large pellets of plasma at Muramasa. But Muramasa easily managed to dodge them all with her own speed, making it seem as though she were in multiple places at the same time. 

But the black and gold Navi wouldn't give in and kept on firing, but still Muramasa dodged everything thrown at her. Not a tinge of amusement showed on her face like when she usually dodges stuff like this. Because this time, she couldn't see any fun in it. She was too angry for anything like that.

As she watched Bass shoot off more and more pellets, something suddenly shot through her head.

--

__

"Who… who are you??"

"I'm a friend, don't worry. I'm here to help you."

"Help… me…? Why??"

"My father believes you're innocent, and I couldn't help but agree."

"Your father??? Don't you mean…"

"No. I'm independent."

"Wow. So… what's your name?"

"Bass.EXE."

--

"Uh?!!?" 

The sudden vision in her mind froze her momentarily, but it was enough for the other Navi. Muramasa gave a scream when the blasts hit their mark, sending her back quite a distance.

Bass had noticed the sudden halt in movements, but had thought absolutely nothing of it. He just kept firing until she finally fell to the ground, the front of her armor molten away for a rather large part. 

"Itai!" Muramasa hissed angrily, standing up with a hand resting on the wound on her stomach.

It wasn't too serious, just a minor scrape, but it would most likely prove to be a pain in the neck during the rest of the battle.

Almost instantly though, the confusion died, and the anger resurfaced. Only… it seemed _way_ worse.

Her left hand shifted into her own Buster, and she started firing her own bolts of plasma. Problem was, she couldn't fire them as fast as Bass, as there was always a 2-second pause between each shot. And it was either that, or have her Buster overload itself. There was no way she was going for the latter though.

She released her Buster with her right hand, which then also shifted into a Buster. Bass looked confused at the sight, but then he had to dodge twice as much plasma pellets from before. Her right hand fired plasma in the 2-second pause from her left and vice versa, sending forth about as much plasma as Bass had done earlier. 

But even though she didn't fire her Busters non-stop, they still began to heat up, forcing her to stop after some time. But not before thinking of something else first.

--

"What's she doing??" Quint questioned, confused.

Razor simply watched, and smirked a little.

'This'll be interesting.'

--

To be honest, she did nothing at all. She just stood there, glaring daggers at Bass. And Bass simply hovered a few feet over the ground, returning the favor with equal ferocity. 

Silence lingered in the air for the longest time, seemingly impenetrable.

Dark magenta clashed with bloodruby red, as their eyes were locked in a vicious staring contest of some kinds, but their eyes were burning, and seemingly glowing in the dim light of the Net. No words were said, nor was there any need. The anger in their eyes spoke more than anyone could ever afford. 

With an almost inaudible whoosh, they vanished without a trace. 

They weren't in sight for half a second, or an explosion of great size racked the Net, quite 20 feet above the surface. And before the light or sound even died down, another explosion followed quite a distance away, vaporizing a nearby rock to dust. For those with an untrained eye, things would look rather… well, strange.

--

It took less than five minutes for them to reappear, and the results were rather startling.

Muramasa's armpads were completely wrecked, her entire battlesuit was ripped, and cyberblood was pouring from an open wound on her stomach. The left side of her helmet had suffered as well, being smashed to pieces, making the left half of her hair drop back onto her head. The only piece of armor left on her right arm was her glove, but the fingers (of her glove, not her hand) were missing. There was a cut across her left cheek, and her breathing was hard and erratic as she held a hand to the gaping wound on her abdomen, as the gem on her forehead flashed in warning of low energy.

But if you thought Muramasa was the only one suffering, guess again. Bass was actually in a similar condition.

Bass' hand was currently grasping his dislocated right arm, which seemed to be twisted into a very unnatural position, the poncho he wore was practically no more than a ripped rag, and his battlesuit was torn up as much as Muramasa's was. He coughed harshly, and dark purple, nearly black blood landed in a small puddle on the ground. The rest simply dribbled down his chin. And the crystal on his forehead also had a few cracks in it.

"Hmm. Not too shabby," Bass mumbled, still looking pissed off.

Muramasa smirked a little, and chuckled, though it was clear that it hurt like hell, and said: "Not too bad yourself."

It might not have showed right away, but instead of writhing in pain and screaming her head off, Muramasa welcomed the pain. She knew herself better than just today. She checked her weaponstats, and noticed to her delight that with every hit she received, the bar increased in length.

To save time later, Muramasa started powering up her Busters, in silence, so as not to alert Bass of what she was doing.

'But how do I keep him busy long enough for me to fully charge this thing?' she wondered to herself, none of it showing on her face. 'I can't risk losing this charge and if he hits me, I'll never be able to fully charge. Shimatta.'

Usually, Muramasa wasn't one to be pessimistic, but if things kept up the way they did, one of the fighting Navis would be deleted after the next set of hits. 

--

"Well, that doesn't look good," Ragna mumbled.

Razor shot the red and green Navi a glare, then turned back to the battle. He wasn't going to waste his time with that guy. There were more important matters at hand. 

'Come on girl! You can beat this guy!'

--

If that were true. But sadly enough, that was not to be the case.

Bass didn't notice Muramasa was charging her Buster, but he still continued shooting plasma at her from both his Busters after relocating his shoulder. And even though he was injured, he still managed it at the same pace as before. And that said something.

Muramasa however, couldn't keep up the pace with her injuries, even though she was a lot stronger than before. With every hit she took, she lost her charge and her throat clogged with blood as she tried desperately to breathe and not to scream. But at the same time, the blood had to go out, so she started flipping away, if only for a few moments. Once she could breathe freely, she coughed harshly, the power behind the coughs sending her already weakened body to the ground, arms flung around the almost fistdeep wound in her abdomen.

What seemed like two gallons of blood poured from her throat, which made Bass stop and watch for a moment. Muramasa choked on the coppery taste of her own blood in her mouth, and gritted her teeth in obvious pain, eyes shut tightly. 

'Well……' Muramasa thought, opening her eyes and looking at the dark puddle before her that was her blood. 'This can't be good.'

She placed her left hand on the ground, and pushed herself back up, stifling a moan of pain as she tried to stay on her feet. 

Before her eyes flashed a warning saying: "**_Internal damage severe. Internal operations energy now stabilized to 29%. Seek immediate medical attention._**"

'I don't have the fucking time for that!!!' Muramasa thought in anger.

"Are you finished?!" Bass' voice suddenly called out. 

Muramasa raised her head with a growl, and stood in a battle position.

"Oh right, laugh at me why don't you!? Know what?! I bet I could easily delete you right now if I could hit you with a fully charged shot!!" Muramasa screamed, her voice laced with anger, but also with challenge.

Bass raised an eyebrow in suspicion, though it wasn't really visible with his helmet on, and he asked: "Are you challenging me?"

"Are you afraid to accept the challenge?" Muramasa asked mockingly.

--

Razor smirked and said: "He's in for it now."

Quint and Ragna looked at him, but Razor motioned for them to watch the battle.

"You'll see."

'Go for it.'

--

"With what? That tiny little Buster of yours?" Bass asked.

Muramasa scowled, but pulled out her Buster, aiming it at Bass.

"I can, and I will, just watch me!"

"Fine then," Bass mumbled, placing his hands on his hips. "Tell you what; I'll stand still, and you can hit me just _once_. Okay?"

Muramasa nodded and said: "Okay."

With a steady whirl, she began to charge her Buster. Plasma slowly started to gather at the barrel, glowing a strange purplish hue. The charge continued to grow, and Bass watched, not moving an inch.

'Right, just hold still like that a little longer. This should be enough to take care of you.'

The slight whirl shifted to a shrill loud enough to wake the dead, as the charge reached its peak. 

Muramasa allowed a smirk to cross over her face as she said: "Hora, I think I forgot to tell you something."

Bass quirked an eyebrow in confusion, when Muramasa released her Buster with her free hand and shifted that one into a Buster as well. 

The plasma merged at both barrels, and with a loud explosion, shot away, sending Muramasa against a rock which had been left standing in the fight. The bolt of plasma sliced through the air, heading straight for the black Navi, who simply watched. 

With a sigh, he raised his hand and the bolt crashed against the palm, exploding on impact.

--

"Ouch!" Quint said and winced visibly. "That had to hurt!"

Razor frowned. 

Something wasn't right here. Bass had looked way too calm, too sure of that he would win. This wasn't going to end well or his name wasn't Razor, which it was.

--

Muramasa tried to sit up, but her energy was slowly depleting. She'd put everything she had in that shot. If she didn't get some medical attention soon, she was as good as deleted. 

'Well, I gotta get up to get that now don't I?' she thought sarcastically, and struggled to her feet.

Once she could stand up, she looked up at the dust cloud hanging above the ground. She gave a smirk, and turned around, ready to walk away when---

"MURAMASA!!! LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!!!!" a familiar voice screamed out, making Muramasa whirl around.

Just too bad it was a little too late.

A bolt of plasma hit her right against her Navi-Symbol, finally causing a scream to erupt from her mouth. The tremendous jolts of pain surged through her every nerve as the crystal on her forehead began flashing more frantically. 

The blast sent her sailing through the air, before she crashed into the ground, breaking her collarbone and arm on impact. Another scream, and the first signs of glittering tears sparked in the corners of her eyes. Hissing between pants for breath, she managed to push herself up, only to receive a sharp kick to her torso, barely missing her head, knocking her on her back. 

She just managed to open her eyes, and look up at the dark figure looming over her.

"D-douya…" she started, but never had the chance to finish as she was left gasping for breath.

Desperately, she struggled against the hold the Navi had on her throat as she was lifted up from the ground. Things were starting to look bad. Really bad.

While still trying to remove the hand from around her neck, she vaguely made out what he was saying to her. 

"So, what do humans say in situations like this? Hmmm?" he asked mockingly, tightening the grip on her neck, making her choke and gasp for air. 

There was no way she could've answered even if she wanted to.

"Hmmm… oh yeah. Strike three, you're outta here."

--

"YOU LEAVE HER ALONE YOU BASTARD!!!" Razor screamed and was about to run straight at him, hadn't Ragna stopped him.

"Be rational here, Razor!" Ragna said sternly. "Jumping into a situation like this will only get you deleted!"

"You only live once, so what's the deal!?!?" Razor shouted and punched Ragna aside, before running straight into the battlefield.

"RAZOR!!! NO!!!" Quint shouted out desperately.

--

Bass pulled back the hand he had around Muramasa's neck, and swung her straight into the air. The gray-haired Navi was too weak to do anything about it. 

"NOW IT'S MY TURN!!!" Bass screamed, and raised his right arm, aiming it at the Navi.

An eerie glow surrounded his arm, as it shifted into something that looked vaguely like a wolf's head. When the glow stopped, it revealed a dark black head with eyes ablaze with liquid fire, sharp manes spiking back in Bass' direction, and enough sparks running over the head to make a Christmas tree see green of jealousy. The wolf opened its mouth, where it gathered more plasma in 3 seconds than Muramasa could in 12.

With a mighty roar of anger, the blast was sent flying.

--

Razor shielded his eyes against the light with both arms, squeezing his eyes shut as he halted in his tracks. He tried to look but the light was simply far too strong. Ragna gave a yell as he shut his eyes and turned away to avoid going blind. Quint was the only unaffected, seeing as he wore shades and the others didn't. 

Still, right now, he wished he couldn't.

--

Shine suddenly stopped in the middle of an 'attack', and almost froze completely.

"Shine?" Chaud asked, confused.

"Something's wrong with Muramasa…" she whispered and without another word, Shine dived under water and began to swim for shore.

Chaud was quick to follow, climbing back on the shore at about the same time as Shine. Within seconds, the light had been turned off, and the two whiteheads were running back towards the house.

Thunder roared above their heads, striking the sky with a frantic urgency, as if punishing it for something, making the sky cry in agony.

'Onnechan… hang in there… I'm coming…'

--

With a startled yelp, Mike shot up in bed, the thunder having startled every bit of sleep out of him. But that hadn't been all. There was this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that told him things were going to be bad. 

Really bad.

But how…

"Razor."

With a push of his legs, he was on the floor and he quickly grabbed the PET from the recharger.

--

Jinn woke up to the sound of thunder, but something else too. A strange sense of déjà vu. As if he'd been through this before.

He couldn't figure out why though, but soon, he realized that there was also something else the matter.

"Ragna," he whispered, and leapt off the bed, resulting in him landing in a heap on the ground. "Goddammit!!"

After untangling himself, Jinn grabbed his PET.

--

The explosion that followed, rocked across the entire Net, though there were hardly any Navis around at the moment. 

Razor got blown clear off his feet, and was sent crashing straight into Ragna and Quint. The trio was sent to the ground within seconds.

--

"No more blood to spill…" Muramasa whispered softly as she stared at her body.

Or what was left of it. Mostly, she was simply falling apart, literally. 

A chunk of her side was gone, replaced by a few loose particles the color of what her armor used to have. Her helmet had been destroyed , leaving her cranium bare and her hair pooling around her head. Her right elbow was missing, and her left shoulder was missing a medium-sized chunk. Her legs were barely fit to stand on any longer, seeing as the left missed a knee, and the other was twisted into an unnatural position. 

Still, she pushed herself up on her arms, still being able to move the parts of her body she still had. Muramasa blew a strand of hair from her face and glared up into the air, where Bass hovered, looking mighty pleased with himself. It was the first time she'd seen anything, safe for anger, appear on his face. 

"Too bad that trick of yours bounced right back at you, eh?" he asked sarcastically. 

'Oh, you gotta be kidding me,' Muramasa thought in anger. 'THAT'S why he didn't move.'

Though, for some reason, a strange feeling rushed into her chest. Well, not strange. More like, forgotten. It bubbled up in her chest, and forced its way through her throat, up to her mouth, but she wouldn't let it. But she couldn't stop the corner of her mouth from twitching.

Bass noticed though, and gave her a rather confused look.

Muramasa quickly covered her mouth, trying not to give in, but she finally just couldn't help it any longer.

She burst out laughing!

Bass' eyes widened in shock as he saw her laughing, unsure if he should be angered, or confused. 

When Muramasa could finally lower the laughter to mere chuckles, she spoke again.

"Just… too bad I'm not out of it yet, huh?" she asked amidst her chuckles. "Because unlike you," she said, pointing at Bass, who looked utterly confused, "I don't rely on brute strength alone! You see, that's the major difference between you and any other Navi around here!"

--

'What's she doing??' Razor wondered as he sneaked closer to the scene. 'Distracting him or something?'

Still, he couldn't help but overhear.

"Other Navis have friends to turn to… and sometimes… even a family…" Muramasa said, a smirk still playing on her face. "But who do you have? No one but yourself to blame for what you yourself have done to yourself."

Bass blinked, then said: "You're blabbing. Navis do not have a 'family'."

"Not in the literal sense, no," Muramasa said, lowering her arm. "But to be a family… you don't have to be bound by blood or data, or any of that junk. A family just means… no one gets left behind… or forgotten."

That's when Razor realized what she was doing. She wasn't distracting him, rather, she was trying to teach him what a family was about.

'But if he harms her, I swear I'll delete him myself!'

--

Bass' eyes narrowed in anger.

"You're yanking my chain, aren't you?!" he demanded.

"I wouldn't dream of it. I'm just stating a fact."

"SHUT UP!!!" Bass screamed, and sent a blast of plasma her way.

It wasn't really big, but the point of the blast was to hit something that could be the end of her. 

With the sickening shattering of glass and cracking of bones, Muramasa's crystal shattered, creating an instant reflex of her head knocking back and knocking her head against the concrete, hard enough to shatter bones. Her face fell to the side, eyes wide and blank, the pupils having vanished from the once clear magenta orbs. 

--

Shine stopped running and screamed in pain, clutching her head as if it were on fire. Chaud could only watch as Shine crashed down to her knees, screaming at the top of her lungs, which was quite loud. 

"Shine! What's wrong with you?!" he asked, bending down beside her.

"My head!!! It hurts!!! It hurts!!!" Shine screamed, tears starting to stream past her cheeks. "S-s-she's in pain!!! MURAMASAAAAAAAA!!!!"

--

ProtoMan wearily shook his head. He could've sworn he heard something. Either that or his sensors were malfunctioning. 

But soon he realized what had woken him up; Shine's screams of pain.

'The hell?? What's going on?'

The last word she screamed however, was enough to make Proto pale.

'Oh crap! _Now_ what'd she do?!' he wondered with a sigh, and transmitted himself to the Net.

--

Bass glared down at the unconscious Navi, pure anger etched all over his face. He raised his hand and formed a simple boll of plasma.

'This'll be enough to take you out. You've been plaguing me for too long already… NOW GET OUT OF MY LIFE!!!!!'

And he fired it straight at her.

What he hadn't counted on, was a blue, green and red blur showing up and lashing the bolt of plasma in two separate halves, making them absolutely harmless. The halves shot off and vanished within only a few seconds. 

Bass watched this happen, before turning his attention to whatever had dared to do that. He was looking at a blue and green Navi, with two blood red blades coming from both gloves, but his hands were still visible. Emerald green orbs, radiating with unchecked anger, glared up at him.

"You mess with Muramasa, you mess with me," he said in a tone that demanded no backtalk.

With a glare still on his face, Bass descended, hovering mere inches above the ground. The other Navi followed him with his eyes, returning the glare full-force.

"And whom might you be? One of this third-class' so-called 'family'?" Bass asked in a cold voice.

"CALL HER A THIRD-CLASS AGAIN AND I'LL RIP YOUR FUCKING DATA APART!!!" the Navi screamed in absolute anger. "AND LIKE MY NAME WOULD DO YOU ANY GOOD!!! BUT JUST BECAUSE YOU 'ASKED', IT'S RAZOR.EXE!!!"

And with that, the second half of the fight had begun.

-- 

****

Z: [pants for breath] Seven… frigging… pages… non-stop… fighting… I've got… enough troubles… with just… three of 'em!

L-chan: Well, at least you made it.

Z: Not yet! I got 14 more frigging pages of fighting to go!!!

D. X: Cripes.

Z: But, I'm glad to be able to write again!

D. Zero: And I'm glad to be over that hangover!

Z: -_- 

D. Zero: :| Not a word, Zeal. Not one.

Z: …………[shrugs]

Miri-chan: Zero!

D. Zero: Shut it!

D. X: Zero, maybe you should lighten up a little.

D. Zero: Right, whatever. [huffs and leaves]

Z: …………[watches D. Zero leave] ………… [when D. Zero's out of earshot…] I told him.

D. Zero: I HEARD THAT!!!

Z: :) [whistles innocently]

Chibi-chan: Z… you sure you're not going Maverick?

Z: I was starting to question it myself, but uh… [hands over sheet]

Chibi-chan: …………Test came out negative.

E-kun: That's funny… I could've sworn Zeal-sama was turning Maverick.

Z: GACK!!! HOW MANY FRIGGING TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO STOP CALLING ME THAT?!??!

E-kun: …Sorry.

Enzan: How can you test someone if he or she is a Maverick?

L-chan: Uh…… [looks at Z]

Z: …You're being tested for the Maverick-Virus.

Enzan: …………That doesn't ring any bells.

Z: It's a virus that makes you go out and kill people for no good reason.

Enzan: I didn't need to hear that.

Z: You asked for it didn't you?

L-chan: But Z, if you're not going Maverick, then what's the matter??

Z: [sighs] I wish I knew.

Chibi-chan: You sure it's not just your period??

Z: I just had it two days back.

Miri-chan: [whistles] Golly, no wonder you were so grouchy last week.

Z: Can't a girl be grouchy every once in awhile?

D. X: Of course you can, but that still doesn't explain why you're so grouchy now. You sure you're fine?

Z: :( GODDAMMIT!!! I'M JUST FINE!!! NOW GET OFF OF MY CASE ALREADY!!!!! [slaps hands over mouth with wide eyes]

Everyone else: OO

Z: ………………I'm taking another goddamn test!!! [runs off in a hurry]

Miri-chan: ……Who designed that test??

L-chan: ……Gate did.

D. X: If Gate designed the test…… and it came out negative…… then what's going on with Zeal???

D. Zero: [walks back in] Hey guys.

Gamma: ???? How'd you get that wound on your face?? I don't recall you having that before.

D. Zero: Later. I'm taking Z to see Cain. Maybe he knows what's wrong. [leaves]

Delta: ……………Hey Beta, you… don't think that…??

Beta: Nyu! I sure hope not!

D. Zero: [pokes head back in] Oh, by the way X, Z said you're in charge until she gets back.

D. X: !!! Me?!?! Why the fuck's that?!?

D. Zero: Don't ask me. [leaves]

D. X: Ah shit.

--

**__**

NO PREVIEW AVAILABLE


	17. Chapter VI Part 2: Only Chaos

****

Z: [mumbles angrily] "No story writing for a week or so". Bullshit. Just bullshit!

D. Zero: Sis, calm down now.

Z: Hey! I already had them suffer a week because of that test week! And I'm not going to let that happen again just because Cain said so!

D. Zero: Geez, sis!

------------------------------------

Pyrogirll23: Maybe so, but that's the frigging longest fighting scene I EVER wrote in my whole entire fucked up life! (D. Zero: "You know, I'm starting to understand why Cain doesn't want you to write." Z: "YOU KEEP OUT OF THIS!!!!")

TJ and Rikumon: Well, I don't care what's wrong with me, but I'm NOT going to stop writing for another week!!

Song: Flash movie? It was just a GIF picture. (D. X: "Consisting out of more than 700 other pictures." Z: "Shut up.") Ch, looks like Bass never heard of that saying. And yeah, it was, but I've been planning to use it SOMEWHERE!!! 

Enigma: …………Someone get this guy an ambulance.

Youkai Ryuu: …You're kidding, right? Bass is one of the most popular Navis around. Do you honestly think I'm going to delete him?

Red Chaos Mage: (Z, D. Zero & D. X: "Nightmare Virus??????" [stare at each other in confusion])

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter VI Part 2: Only Chaos…

"Why did that fool have to jump in there?"

"Maybe to protect Muramasa?"

"Maybe so, but fighting against an independent Navi… that's asking for trouble."

"Are you saying you don't care?"

"…I never said any of that now, did I?"

--

Ragna turned to the fight again, taking note that Razor couldn't get a single hit in with Bass. The black Navi was just too fast for him. Even so, Razor wouldn't stop trying. 

'Persistent ain't he?' Ragna thought, but then his thoughts darkened clenched his fist. 'But how does he know Muramasa? And if he hurts her in any way, he's history.'

--

Razor easily managed to block a hack from Bass' own sword, and lunged out, but Bass fazed out right before it was supposed to hit. It was really starting to get annoying, especially for an angry Razor.

"You damn coward!!" Razor screamed. "Stop evading like that and fight!!!"

An audible whoosh resounded behind him and he easily whirled around to block a swing from a vicious-looking Long Sword. Glares were exchanged between a pair of emeralds and a pair of bloodrubies. Razor lunged out again, only to have it blocked. He wouldn't quit though, and kept on lashing out, but they were either avoided or blocked. 

Finally, they jumped away, but right after landing on their feet (Bass too) they both leapt into the air and met halfway, each striking with their weapon. 

The independent Navi expertly blocked the bloodred blade with his Long Sword, while at the same time preventing the blade from cutting his weapon into harmless data. They fell down, striking, parrying and dodging the other's blows like duelists who had known each other their entire lives.

Once at the ground they jumped away again, before rushing forward. Swords clashed and glares were exchanged with every hit. 

Razor lashed out sideways at Bass, who blocked with his sword. That was what Razor had counted on though. 

Bass stifled a scream when Razor suddenly kneed him in his stomach, but seeing as Razor had kneepads as sharp as his name, it wasn't a pretty feeling, I can tell you that. Blood started trickling onto Razor's boots, but the Navi could've cared less and delivered a roundhouse kick to Bass' head, sending him to the ground easily.

Razor landed on the ground with a calm look on his face, though he was actually burning up in anger. His fists were clenched and almost tore holes in his gloves. But he barely noticed it. 

Bass pushed himself up from the ground, wiping a trickle of blood away from his mouth. He then glared toward the other Navi, who seemed as calm as a morning breeze. 

But Razor's eyes suddenly flashed away for a brief second, and Bass followed his glance.

Muramasa…

A cold smirk formed on his face, and Razor seemed to instinctively know what he was up to.

"If you even dare!!" Razor said, though there was a slight hint of panic hidden in his voice.

Before the Navi could even react, Bass sent a bolt of plasma straight in Muramasa's direction. Razor could only watch it, knowing there was no way he could ever catch up to it.

Suddenly, a sound resembling a jackhammer hitting solid ground was heard across the Net, and the floor shook by the force, nearly sending Razor to the ground. Bass simply hovered above the ground. And then, the ground a few feet in front of Muramasa tore open and shot quite some feet into the air.

With a loud explosion, the bolt of plasma hit the protective barrier for Muramasa. The barrier crumbled afterward though.

But even so, who was with Muramasa behind the barrier was a real surprise.

"QUINT!!" Razor shouted, both relieved and surprised.

Quint was indeed standing there, one fist on his hip, and his other hand holding a pretty tough-looking jackhammer. Even though you couldn't see his eyes, it was clear by what you _could_ see, that he was quite pissed.

"If I have to believe my Operator," Quint said, tapping his indexfinger against the handle of the jackhammer, "you're even more heartless than that damned copy."

Bass looked confused, but then it hit him.

A screen opened somewhere above Muramasa, showing a rather pissed off Shun.

"Hello Bass," he said icily. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

Bass snorted, and said: "Not long enough in my opinion."

While Bass' attention was fixed on Shun and Quint, Razor took the opportunity to pull one of his Busters from its containment. 

'Let's see how you play by your own rules.'

He flipped the Buster to silent charge, and waited for a moment.

It didn't take him long to fully charge his Buster.

Finally, Razor fired the sizzling bolt of plasma at the black and gold Navi. By the time Bass turned around toward the sound, he was already too late. 

The bolt struck him right against the wound Razor had inflicted earlier, sending him back a small distance.

"What?!" Bass demanded, glaring at Razor, who blew the smoke from his Buster.

"I'm playing this game by _your_ rules for a chance," Razor said plainly, holding up his Buster as if he would shoot whenever he aimed again. "I've been taught to always play by the rules of the game you play. So I will!"

And he fired again, but this time, Bass managed to dodge.

--

Quint also jumped into the battle, using his Buster to give it a shot. Shun also sent the Navi some sword chips, which made it even easier. 

But in the meantime, Ragna was checking on Muramasa. She was still alive, but she was weak, and most likely wouldn't last very long with the battle going on like that. 

Carefully, Ragna picked the girl up, making sure not too cause her too much pain. A soft groan escaped her mouth, and gingerly, the pupils of her eyes returned, and she looked up at Ragna, pain visible in her eyes.

"Ra… Ragna…??" she questioned, her lips barely moving. 

"Yeah, it's me," Ragna said softly. "I'm getting you out of the line of fire, okay?"

"…'K…" she whispered, and closed her eyes.

Ragna looked back toward the battle with a frown on his face.

'Couldn't even protect her when he had to,' he thought angrily.

"Well, I can tell she's been in a fight again, hmm?" an unfamiliar voice said, and Ragna turned to the voice in confusion.

Standing there, was a red-armored Navi with a set of shades shielding his eyes, and his Navi-Symbol on his gloves and his chestplate. From the back of his helmet, came a long ponytail of gray hair.

"Who are you?" Ragna asked threateningly, slightly tightening the hold he had on Muramasa.

"I'm not your enemy," the Navi said coolly. "Muramasa is a friend of mine."

Ragna frowned and asked: "How do I know you speak the truth?"

The Navi seemed to think for a moment, then smirked lightly, and whistled a familiar tune. Four tones, five notes. It was a very familiar tune that Muramasa sometimes whistled when she felt like it. There were barely any others who knew it, seeing as she always whistled when she thought she was alone.

But even so, it was enough for Ragna. 

"Ah. So, what are you doing here?" Ragna asked.

A sudden explosion sounded behind them, making them whirl around toward the sound. 

--

Razor crashed into the ground with a strangled cry, his helmet flying from his head as he went. The green-haired Navi shot op instantly mere seconds after having crashed against the ground, effectively avoiding the next plasma burst, and somehow managing to pick up his helmet as well.

There was a major dent in it, and a large chunk had been blown off. A lot of other pieces of Razor's armor had been torn off, but surprisingly, the wounds were kept at a minimum.

With a glare, Razor turned to Bass and shouted: "HEY YOU SON OF A BITCH!!! THIS WAS MY BEST HELMET!!!" while holding up his helmet in anger.

"Yeah? So?" Bass asked, bored out of his mind.

Quint stared up at the independent Navi, barely able to cling to his jackhammer. He was already falling apart at his elbows and knees, and the back of his helmet was also dissolving. He tried to stand, but it was really of no use. All he could do, was watch from a distance as Razor continued to battle, even though he seemed rather fatigued.

Razor growled and looked down at his armor, taking in the damage.

"Hmm… that's two kneecaps… one glove… one busted sword…" he mumbled, sliding out his split sword from his still remaining glove, before sliding it back in, "…two shouldercaps… and one helmet…"

Bass gave a slight chuckle.

"So, what's it going to cost me? Hmm?"

Razor glared up at him, unable to form a reply. Well, he had one, but he couldn't use it in the position he was in right now.

"It'll cost you your data, you piece of trash!!" a familiar voice rang out, startling both Navis.

--

"Battlechip! Wide Sword!! Slot in!!"

--

Razor's entire right arm immediately shifted into a large blue sword, glowing intensely from the energy coursing through it.

--

"Area Steal!! Slot in!!"

--

With a whoosh, Razor vanished from the spot he had been at only seconds ago.

Bass whirled around, trying to find the other Navi. Didn't work though, seeing as the Navi was nowhere in sight, and Bass didn't have eyes strong enough to look very far away.

Bass couldn't stop the scream tearing from his throat when a sword suddenly lashed across his back.

Razor smirked wickedly as he easily landed on the ground, bending through his knees to catch his fall.

"Thanks Mike, I owe you!" the Navi said with a smile.

A connection with Mike was opened, and the other boy smirked slightly, his hair a little disheveled from all his tossing and turning. 

"Hey! That's what friends are for! Right?" Mike asked, giving his Navi a thumbs-up.

Razor returned the simple gesture with a smile.

"Oh, and I think you'll need this."

--

"Recover200!! Slot in!!"

--

Instantly, Razor's wounds and fatigue had dissipated, but his armor was still rather torn up. But Mike wasn't done yet.

--

"Armor Restore!! Slot in!!"

--

As if put in reverse, Razor's armor restored itself within less time it had taken to demolish it in the first place.

"Christ! Mike, where'd you get that?!" Razor asked.

"Somewhere," Mike said with a smirk. "Now let's get this show on the road!"

Razor smirked and turned to the other Navi, who was glowering in anger. Calmly, Razor got into a battle-position, still smirking.

With a furious scream, Bass started firing bolts of plasma at Razor again, but this time…

--

"Speed+80!! Slot in!!"

--

Razor easily managed to avoid all blasts thrown his way, before pulling out his own Busters and starting to fire himself. But Bass easily avoided everything by simply flying a little bit to the side. But even so, Razor kept a smirk on his face.

--

"Mega Cannon!! Slot in!!"

--

Razor put aside one Buster as his arm shifted into a large cannon. He took aim quickly, and was about to pull the trigger, but changed angle at the very last second.

Bass, who had already dived aside, couldn't avoid the blast to his stomach, sending him a few more feet up into the air.

As Razor dropped his hand, he blinked up at Bass and shouted: "Hey, had that been me, I would've thrown up by now. You're pretty tough!"

The black and gold Navi said nothing, and suddenly, Razor noticed something he hadn't paid any attention to earlier. 

A large circle, with his Navi-Symbol on it, a large italic '_f_' on its side, with a large scar running straight through the center, and across most of his chest, forming a slightly deformed 'X'. It lit up and then dulled like a quickened heartbeat, as if to indicate a constant pain running through his chest, but Bass barely noticed it. Pain just didn't show on his face, maybe in his voice during a really hectic battle, but otherwise.

"Mike…"

"Huh? What is it?"

"Check his chest…"

--

Mike squinted against the screen, and finally tapped in a command for an enhancement.

"Holy CRAP!!!" Mike exclaimed upon seeing the scar, but it was no louder than a whisper.

The constant pulse seeming to run through it was practically enough to make him sick.

--

"H-how did you…?" Razor asked, motioning with a hand across his chest, following the path of Bass' scar.

Bass looked down at Razor in confusion. Razor could tell he thought it was a trick, just by looking at him.

"No tricks, I promise," Razor said, holding up his hands to show he was serious.

Bass' eyes narrowed in anger. It was clear that there was no way that Bass would trust his word.

"Why should I trust you?!" he demanded, anger clear in his voice, but Razor caught the slight hitch in it.

After being around Muramasa for so long, he had learned to hear the emotions from the slight clues in one's voice alone. And Bass was not only angry. He was also… hurt, not physically, but emotionally, as if the scar had not only left his body scarred. But there was also sadness, and…… betrayal.

And Razor understood immediately.

--

Quint managed to get up after Shun had found some Recover chips, and both were now staring at the two Navis.

Both had the same thing running through their heads: 'What were they doing?'

Nothing seemed to happen for quite some time, with both Navis just staring each other down. After quite some time though, Quint could see Razor hanging his head, and closing his eyes, mumbling something he couldn't hear.

--

"I see… betrayal is a vile thing…" Razor said softly.

Bass carefully stopped a gasp from coming from his throat, and simply glared, as if demanding how he knew, but there was a tinge of fear visible in his eyes.

Of course, Razor couldn't tell, but he still knew the question was on his mind, begging to be let out.

"Maybe you should try to fix that betrayal from slipping into your voice, ne?" he asked, still not looking up.

Silence. Just… deathly silence.

For the first time since the day _it_ happened, Bass' shoulders sagged, and he lowered his head. Razor looked up at him from under the brim of his helmet, still not raising his head. Razor knew that expression all too well; it was as if Bass was just about ready to break down and just… cry.

The green and blue Navi said nothing and left the other Navi to his own thoughts.

--

The Navi in question practically forgot where he was, the sudden reminder of what had happened being enough to make him recall the event.

**__**

*Flashback*

Giving a small sigh, the Navi put his head between his knees, his arms slung around his legs, pulling them to his chest protectively. The golden shouldercaps spiked back slightly, but the end wasn't sharp enough to penetrate anything. His black, gold and white gloves, protected his hands, like his black and gold boots did for his feet. The gold lines running from his Navi-Symbol to his boots shimmered in the artificial light on the brand-new Net.

Around his wrists and ankles, were restraints that disabled him from using any chip data at all. He threw another glance at the energy-prison keeping him locked up where he sat right now. 

Painful thoughts rang through his head as the guard-Navis came to check up on him again. They always taunted him while they were at it as well. But he ignored them.

There were more important things on his mind.

'It wasn't my fault… I was only trying… to help… I never meant for this to happen…'

After the guards left, he suddenly heard a familiar beeping noise behind him, so he whirled around in surprise.

"Father…" he said softly, standing up and looking up at the picture of his 'father', Dr. Cossack.

The man looked really down, so apparently, he failed to talk some sense into the other scientists. He refused to meet his 'son's' eyes, as if it would make him weep if he did.

"They… didn't listen… huh?" he asked softly, almost afraid to know.

"………No. They were too stubborn to listen," Cossack said quietly, using nearly the same tone as him. "Only Yuuichiro and his father listened to me, and believed me."

He hung his head, not wanting his father to see the shame on his face.

"……It wasn't my fault… it wasn't my fault…" he kept whispering over and over again.

"I know… but that's not everything…"

He looked up, confused, and asked: "What do you mean?"

"The Net's been acting funny during your 'visit' in Netopia… they think that was your doing also."

"But I didn't do anything!!!" he exclaimed, desperately trying to convince not only his father, but himself as well. 

"I know you didn't," Cossack said. "But not everyone agrees with us."

He clenched his fists, trying to keep his emotions in check, so as not to let everything go.

"So, why did they lock me up?" he asked, his pain clearly audible in his voice.

"They have to make sure. If it becomes clear it wasn't you, they'll let you go."

For that, he was glad. Most likely, if he got stuck in here for too long, he'd get out with claustrophobia. 

--

Once again, he sat there, but this time, with a bit more hope than before. He only had a few more hours to go before he would be released again, and then he'd go see her. He had to apologize. Really he had.

'I owe her that much…' he thought sadly, leaning back against the walls of his cell, and planning on sleeping the last few hours. 

A sudden sizzling made him look up, toward the energy-bars in confusion, where the sound was coming from.

"Wha??" he wondered, right before the bars dissolved.

Silence, before he got up, blinking in confusion. Usually, those guys were always so precise, so why was he released so early? But still, he was glad to be free again, and he immediately ran, needing to go to Netopia to apologize.

He didn't care, nor noticed that his restraints were still on him. He had to leave. He just _had_ to!

But he had never expected the Net to literally go berserk, making him stop in shock. He looked every which way, his mouth wide open in shock, as the Net just seemed to… fall apart!

"Wh-what's going on?!" he demanded.

"What's going on, is your deletion!!" a voice screamed behind him, making him whirl around in shock.

An entire army of Navis stood there, glaring hatefully at him. They either had swords out, or large guns, each one with his name on it.

He took a few frightened steps back, shaking slightly, and said: "But I didn't do anything!"

"Don't try to fool us, virus-Navi!" one of them said.

Bass stepped back. What was going on?

'But I didn't do anything…'

**__**

*End Flashback*

"I didn't do anything…" Bass murmured softly, almost inaudible.

Razor finally raised his head, his eyes understanding. Even Mike was silent, finally understanding the other Navi. 

"Humans are just designed to make mistakes…" Mike whispered, making Bass look at him with those blood red orbs. "And sometimes, those mistakes have catastrophic consequences… whether it's for a single person or an entire group."

Razor nodded and said: "Mistakes like that often killed people… People who did no harm to no one."

Silence, but with every second, the tension seemed to increase. Razor could understand that Bass still didn't trust them, and he suspected that he would attack any second. If only to release his anger and hurt.

Bass' eyes glazed over with anger again, and he growled in anger. 

"As though you know what I had to go through!" he hissed.

"I won't know unless you tell me, ne?" Razor asked, though he was actually getting ready to fight if he had to.

"LIKE HELL I WILL!!!" Bass screamed, and threw a bolt of plasma at Razor.

Razor easily jumped back, avoiding the blast easily.

It didn't take much to avoid all blasts, seeing as Bass was driven by anger and hurt only, which made his aim become less and less every time. Still, Razor said nothing, and just kept on dodging. 

The blasts missed him by a mile, but again, he said nothing.

He simply allowed Bass to fire, and not once did he fire in return. The black and gold Navi just wouldn't stop firing at Razor, as the green and blue Navi kept on dodging everything thrown at him. The pellets of plasma still flew down with their usual speed, but there was a slightly bigger pause between the shots, giving Razor all the time he needed to dodge or avoid.

Bass fired again and again, but a nagging voice in the back of his mind told him to stop and think for a second. Like always, he ignored the voice and simply continued to fire at the Navi, angered that he had even _tried_ to make him open up. Like he would ever open up to anyone!!

He'd made that mistake twice already, and he wasn't planning to make the same mistake again!!

The thought alone nearly made him stop, but he ordered his body to keep up, not paying any attention to his Busters as they slowly heated up. He couldn't care if they were going to overheat; all he wanted was to end it all, all of it. 

That's all he ever wanted… all he ever wanted was for everything to just end, just to make him forget. Forget everything he didn't want to remember, or the stuff he never wanted to hear from. He wouldn't be able to live with it.

He couldn't live with himself as it is, and he didn't need more pain than he already had. He just couldn't…

--

Quint watched in confusion as Bass suddenly reopened fire, but his aim was off, by more than a mile. But even so, he wanted to help, but there was no way to get up to where Bass was. The guy was a whole lot of feet above the ground, so there was no way to get there.

"Just what happened back there?" Ragna asked, walking up beside the much smaller Navi.

"I dunno…" Quint said with a shrug. "But I really wish I could help."

"So why don't you?" Ragna asked.

Quint looked at him in confusion. What was this guy talking about?

"How 'bout this," Ragna said, bending through his knees to talk eye-to-eye with the other Navi, "I get Bass from the sky, and you use that jackhammer of yours to…" the next part was whispered into the Navi's ear.

The smaller Navi grinned, but then asked: "How are you…?"

"Just watch…"

--

Razor watched Bass for a moment, and noticed that Bass was starting to get tired, most likely from firing his Busters for so long. Still, Razor said nothing and just continued to dodge. 

--

Bass stopped after some time though, trying to catch his breath, while Razor was not even missing a beat.

"You're getting slow, Bass," Razor said simply, as if talking about the weather. "Getting a little rusty there?"

The black Navi growled in absolute anger. His fingers curled inward, making fists, which clenched tightly, his hands shaking to show he was really mad now. But Razor wasn't affected in the least. 

"You…" Bass hissed in anger, as his arms lit up with dark red energy. "I'm going to enjoy deleting you myself!"

"Oh really?" Razor asked, one eyebrow quirked, although that was hard to see with a helmet on. "Do you even realize that you're being as bad as everyone else who's ever killed for no good reason?" he asked, making Bass narrow his eyes in confusion. "Humans get locked up for crimes like that. Sometimes, even death for repeated murder."

Mike closed his eyes sadly, and said: "There's enough useless fighting in this world, and what does it bring? Nothing but pain, chaos, and death. Nor does it solve anything."

"Shut up shut up SHUT UP!!!!" Bass screamed, pure anger and madness written all over his face. "I DON'T CARE IF IT SOLVES ANYTHING!!! AS LONG AS THIS PAIN COMES TO AN END!!!!"

"Pain???" Razor and Mike questioned at the same time, thoroughly confused.

Bass screamed and pulled back his arms. Razor instantly took on a defensive position, thousands of gallons of hatred and anger surging across the entire Net, freezing his body up completely, as if he was back in the crystal prison made by that Crystal.EXE.

'W-w-what's going on?! Why can't I move!?'

There was no way his body would move on its own accord. Even blinking took a lot of willpower. He wouldn't stop trying, and fought desperately not to let fear override his systems. 

No use though.

--

Bass was about to throw, when…

"What were you planning with that?" a voice said from… behind him?

He whirled around, only to receive a blast against his stomach, sending him crashing into the ground with a loud slam. His head knocked back against the ground, knocking him out almost immediately. 

"QUINT!! NOW!!" Ragna screamed, kicking off against his lance, sending him quite some distance from the crash site.

Quint heard his cue, and summoned for his jackhammer, which appeared almost instantly. He slammed the tool into the ground, and instantly, it whirled to life and started hammering against the ground, having the desired result. The ground tore open, streaking rapidly across the entire Net, but generally in one direction.

Bass', that is.

As the ground tore open beneath him, it easily swallowed him up, as if it was nothing. 

And then… Quint raised the jackhammer from the ground. 

Immediately, the gigantic tear in the Net slammed back into place loudly.

Ragna walked over, smirking slightly. 

"Well, takes care of that," the tall Navi said. 

"Yeah, and it took you long enough," a familiar voice said, making the duo look up.

Razor walked up to them, not seeming to be angry, but a mixture between a bit crossed and relieved.

"Sorry, Razor," Shun said, scratching the back of his neck. 

"Nah, don't bother," Mike said, smirking. "He's still here, and that's what's important."

Razor smirked as well, then turned serious and asked: "Where's Muramasa?"

Ragna frowned and said: "A friend of hers took her out of here."

"And you let him?!?!" Razor demanded in anger. "He might not even _be_ a friend of hers! So how can you know?!?!"

"I think I've known Muramasa a lot longer than you could ever know her!!!" Ragna practically shouted, starting to get angry as well.

"And how the fuck do you even know how long I know her?!?! For all I care, I know her far better than you could _ever_ know her!!!" Razor screamed with equal ferocity.

"Holy shit!! Razor, cut it out!!" Mike said.

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!!!!" Razor and Ragna screamed at the same time.

Quint backed up in surprise. Normally, Razor wasn't so easy to anger, so this must be serious. 

__

CRASH!!!

Everyone instantly whirled around in shock, surprised by the sudden sound.

"What the?!?!"

"Uh oh…"

"Ah FUCK!!!"

Bass was up again, and pissed off as hell this time.

-- 

****

Miri-chan: Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiis. [tugs on Zeal's arm] When are there going to be new Styles in it?

Z: Once I have more Styles than I have now. 

Enzan: Why not ask the readers for something?

D. Zero: Not such a bad idea. 

Z: Well… okay. Alright people, if you have any ideas for new (not existing) Styles, write them down in a review, with a description of the Style itself, and the different versions (you know, Guts, Team/Brother, Shield, Bug, Shadow, etc).

D. X: Well, you'll be getting some pretty long reviews then.

Z: If people even read this crap.

Chibi-chan: Whoa, by the way, how'd the test go?

Z: Mmmwa. 

D. Zero: Just fine. We'll get the results in a few days.

Z: Anyway, if you think it's too long, send it over in an email.

Miri-chan: Are you going to send the best style a gift?

Z: A what???

D. X: A present, endowment, gift…

Z: X!!! SHUT UP!!!

D. X: :)

D. Zero: Well, send the best Style a profile picture of a Navi of the author's choice.

Z: Hmmm… I guess. But I always have troubles picking the best Style or anything else.

Delta: Hey! We're here too!

Beta: Nyu! That's right! We can all help as well!

Z: Well…… oh alright.

Miri-chan: YAY!!!

--

__

Mini-Contest: Send in a brand-new Style that doesn't exist in the MMBN games with a description of the Style itself as well as the different versions. Status changes (if any at all) have to be mentioned as well, as well as how it's supposed to look. It's allowed to have the Style only be used by a certain character, but it's not necessary. If describing things isn't your thing, it's allowed to send in a picture of the Style on one of the characters (I don't really care who it is). It doesn't matter if you think the picture stinks. It's the design that counts.

__

Prize: A profile picture of a Navi of your choice. 

--

__

NO PREVIEW AVAILABLE


	18. Chapter VI Part 3: Pain Of Memories

Z: ………………………………………… I…………………… I don't…………………feel…………… very…………… good……………

D. Zero: Sis?!!?

E-kun: Zeal-sama???

Z: …………Uuuuuuuuuuuuuungh…… [passes out]

Chibi-chan: Z!!!!

Miri-chan: SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!!!

D. X: Somebody get Gate!!!

L-chan: I-I-I-I'm on it! [runs off to get Gate]

D. Zero: X, we better take care of the reviews until Z gets back.

D. X: Right.

------------------------------------

Pyrogirll23: _D. X: Tell me about it._

Song: _D. Zero: Must be pretty cool, but Zeal wants Styles that don't exist._

Sol Sabre: _D. X: WHOA!!!_

Red Chaos Mage: _D. Zero: I'll have Gate check it out. Once he's done with sis, I mean._

------------------------------------

--

**Chapter VI Part 3: Pain Of Memories**

"Sir!"

"Wha? ProtoMan?"

"Sir! Muramasa's taken quite some damage!"

"Ah crap! What happened?!"

"One word, four letters."

"Bass."

--

Chaud clenched his fists, before he looked at Shine, lying in bed. She was horribly weakened, and could barely move anymore. And finally, the pain had become too much, and she passed out. Even though Chaud didn't know how she could be in pain, he already had a sneaky suspicion.

"How bad is it?" Chaud finally asked his Navi.

"Well, she's practically falling apart," Proto said, looking at the girl he was holding.

"Damn," Chaud cursed angrily.

--

Ragna raised his lance and blocked the swing from Bass' sword, but was barely able to hold up. The black Navi was driven by anger only, and with an independent Navi, that was bad news. Bass kept on hacking at Ragna, who did his best to block every hit, but it was getting really tough.

Razor easily loaded his Buster and fired a blast at Bass, but the Navi dodged and sent a blast of plasma at Razor. The blast was too fast for Razor to dodge, so it hit him straight in his chest, sending him back with a yelp. He crashed into the ground, hard, and managed to get up pretty soon, but Bass wasn't done yet.

With a kick, Ragna was sent away, crashing into a nearby rock. Bass then pulled out his Busters, and began firing at Razor. The other Navi could do nothing about it, and all blasts hit him, knocking the breath out of him as chunks of his armor were blown off. But even so, he didn't scream. He refused to let a single scream erupt from his throat.

He raised his arms in protection, but it helped nothing as the blasts kept pushing him further back. Razor clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, making sure he wouldn't scream. But even so, the pain was starting to get rather hard to bear.

However, Bass' shooting pattern was interrupted by a jackhammer making contact with his head, sending him sliding across the ground. Quint landed on the ground, and immediately jammed his jackhammer against the ground. It instantly whirred back to life, hammering against the ground like crazy. But if there's one thing you shouldn't do, it's using the same tactic against Bass twice.

Bass easily jumped up, and fazed out somewhere above groundlevel.

"Quint! Look out behind you!!!" Shun shouted, but it was no use.

Quint gave a strangled cry as Bass' hand struck him against the back of his neck, with enough force to shatter a few bones. The blow sent the small Navi to the ground within seconds, knocked out before he even hit the ground. His jackhammer fell to the ground and dissolved automatically.

But before Bass could do anything else, the back end of Ragna's lance crashed into his stomach, sending him into a rock somewhere behind him. Though, Bass wasn't that easily conquered.

With both hands, he grasped the lance, and pulled on it, hard. Ragna gave a yelp of surprise as he was suddenly pulled forward, but he soon found his balance again.

"You're asking for it!!!" Ragna hissed, and suddenly changed the lance's angle.

This caused Bass to be catapulted into the air as Ragna heaved his own lance over his head. With a loud crash, Bass crashed into the ground, but on both his feet!!!

This stunned the red and green Navi, but it was all Bass needed.

Before Ragna could even blink, Bass' feet were buried up to his ankles in Ragna's stomach. The much taller Navi's eyes widened at the evident pain, and he doubled over, dropping his lance from his hand. As if it wasn't enough, Bass followed it up with a punch to his jaw, sending him back and against a rock not far away.

"Ouch," Ragna mumbled, rubbing his aching stomach.

Bass was snarling in anger, and raised his Buster, ready to fire.

--

"Battlechip!! Barrier!! Slot in!!!"

--

Just as Bass fired, a barrier of energy showed up and recoiled the attack.

"Jinn!!" Ragna said, surprised.

"Not now, Ragna!!" the blonde boy said. "Let's roll!!"

"Right!!"

--

"Triple Lance!!! Slot in!!!"

--

A familiar fish-like virus appeared in front of Ragna, who had quickly gotten to his feet.

Bass growled in anger and fired another bolt of plasma.

"Triple Lance!!! Fire!!!" Ragna shouted, and the fish-virus instantly opened its large mouth and shot out a large trident, which easily pierced through Bass' burst of plasma.

Before Bass could even react, the trident was buried in his chest, straight in the scar he had. The look on his face made it clear he wanted to scream, but he bit his tongue until he actually drew blood. He was lucky the trident vanished right after inflicting damage, because pulling it out would've been a real pain.

A loud bang sounded across the Net, and a bolt of plasma struck Bass against his shoulder, breaking the sharp shouldercap he had. The bolt was followed by many more, striking Bass at numerous already weakened places, including his scar, multiple times.

Finally though, Razor stopped, but he kept his Buster out.

"This battle doesn't have to go on like this," Razor shouted up at Bass. "Stop this nonsense right now!!!"

Bass' only answer was a barrage of plasma. Razor used but one Buster to stop all of them, pulling the trigger time and time again, sending smaller bursts of plasma to make the bigger bursts explode.

Finally, Bass had enough and sent a much larger bolt of plasma at Razor. The other Navi quickly charged and was about to fire when ---

"HORA BUSHHEAD!!! OUTTA THE WAY!!!" a familiar voice screamed.

Razor whirled around in surprise, only to hurriedly duck under Muramasa's gigantic plasma charge. The blast collided with that of Bass, and exploded on impact.

Muramasa smirked and blew the smoke from her Buster. Razor got back up, and looked up at Bass, who seemed rather pissed off.

"So, what's up with him?" Muramasa asked. "Don't remember him being so angry when I left him."

Razor looked at the gray-haired girl in confusion, but shrugged and said: "Long story."

Muramasa accepted this and said: "Right."

Suddenly, she whistled. Four tones and five notes. A different Navi echoed the strange whistle, only quite some distance away.

"Shine!!!" Muramasa then screamed.

--

"Paladin Sword!!! Slot in!!!"

--

Muramasa raised her left arm into the air, and it instantly reverted to a large sword, surging with energy.

"Let's do this!!!!" she hissed coldly, making Razor take a few steps back.

--

"Area Steal!!! Slot in!!!"

--

With speed unimaginable, Muramasa shot forward. She kept vanishing every couple of meters, until she completely vanished from the ground.

At the same time, another Navi zoomed across the Net, vanishing in practically the same pattern as Muramasa.

When they vanished, everyone turned their heads this way and that, trying to find them. But the duo was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, Bass screamed at the top of his lungs as two blades cut through his skin from the front and the back. Both blades were blazing hot, and it was almost as if they were about to cut him in half any second.

But they didn't.

Two deep wounds were all they left, as the two sword-wielding Navis dropped back to the ground. Calmly, the two Navis landed on the ground, bending through their knees to catch their fall. While Muramasa's sword vanished right after the hit, that of the other Navi staid out.

They stood up at about the same time, and Muramasa looked up at Bass.

"Just what are you doing!?" she screamed up at him. "Do you honestly think this'll solve _anything_?!!? It'll only bring more pain and frustration!!!"

But the black and gold Navi was too angry to give a damn. He started shooting again, but the Navis easily jumped aside, avoiding every blast. Somehow though, Muramasa managed to get out of the line of fire, and ended up right beside Razor.

"He did quite a number on you, ne?" she asked, giving a nod at his armor.

Razor nodded and said: "Quite. I tried to talk some sense into him, but uh…" he finished the sentence with a nod at Bass.

Muramasa bit her lip for a moment, seemingly in thought.

"By the way, weren't you supposed to be falling apart?" Razor suddenly asked.

"Nani? Oh. Yeah, but Chaud easily fixed up my data. No big deal for him," Muramasa said with a shrug.

Razor's eyebrows instantly furrowed in obvious suspicion and anger.

"You're still staying with Blaze? I heard some pretty bad things about that guy," he questioned carefully.

"He's not THAT bad!" Muramasa protested. "You just have to get to know him a little. But we've got bigger problems here."

"Right."

Even though Muramasa had a point, Razor couldn't help but feel like he was being left out on a lot of things. For some reason, he had always felt like he had to protect Muramasa, that she was his responsibility. And someone else taking over that responsibility… well, he didn't like that one bit.

He knew she could take care of herself, but everyone needed help at least once.

"I think I've got something, listen…" Muramasa then whispered something in his ear, making him smirk.

"Alright," Razor agreed with a nod.

The two of them knocked their fists together, then placed them across their chests. It was a little something they had thought of themselves.

"Let's go!"

--

Ragna lashed out with his lance, while Proto swiped at Bass with his BusterSword, but both attacks missed him. Bass easily punched Ragna to his jaw, and kicked Proto in his gut at the same time, sending both Navis away from him.

The anger in his eyes was enough to scare anyone, and they burned with such intensity that it could melt steel.

Still, his anger only made him an easier target, as his stats didn't go up with it.

"Hey Bass!!" a familiar voice shouted, and the Navi looked up, only to get a boot straight in his face, knocking him back easily.

He didn't get far, seeing as something suddenly coiled around his neck, holding him in place. A sideways glance told him it was Muramasa's tail, which tightened around his neck, making him gasp for breath and try to break free. But Muramasa's tail was way too strong for that.

"Looks like we're going to have to knock some sense into you," Muramasa hissed, and bent through her knees.

With a strong push, Muramasa was catapulted into the air, pulling Bass with her along for the ride. It'd been a while since she last pulled a stunt like this, but she still managed it flawlessly.

She started flipping forward quite a few times, spinning around violently as she reached the peak of her jump, which was quite high for one Navi. Finally, she spun around one last time, and flung Bass from her grasp and to the ground, who went down with enormous speeds. Muramasa then shot after him, using the aerodynamics of her armor to make her drop faster than Bass. When she reached the Navi, she flipped again, and kicked him into his spine harshly, sending both of them to the ground with deadly speed.

The dustcloud caused by the impact against the ground was pretty big, reaching about 25 feet in height, and 15 in diameter.

But still, Muramasa easily jumped out of the top of the cloud, and flipped backward, landing gently beside a smug-looking Razor.

"Nice move," the older Navi said calmly.

"Arigatou," Muramasa said with a smirk. "Demo…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know!" Razor said calmly.

As Muramasa straightened up, ProtoMan and Ragna walked over, seemingly in good condition.

"You two alright?" Razor asked after some consideration, not wanting to make anyone suspicious.

ProtoMan gave a nod, and the mouthpiece slid away from his mouth, showing his slightly frowning mouth.

"We'll live," he said simply.

"Speak for yourself," Ragna mumbled almost inaudibly.

Razor was glad to know that there was at least _one_ other person who couldn't stand the red Navi. If he was the only one who hated the guy's guts, no doubt Muramasa was going to find out sooner or later.

"Enough chit-chat, here he comes again," Muramasa interrupted.

The other three Navis instantly turned to the dustcloud before them, getting into a battle position, ready to fight whenever they had to.

Bass was up again, alright, but he was weakened from all his injuries, and most likely wouldn't last much longer. If they managed to hit him a few more times, he would be close to deletion, but not there most likely. Bass escaped deletion twice already, so why not a third time as well? His breathing was ragged and heavy, but the anger was still clear on his face.

"Okay, now what?" Ragna asked, tightening the grip on his lance.

"Smartest thing to do is attack from different sides," Proto said, holding up his sword, "but my guess is he'll be expecting that."

"Fat chance of that," Muramasa said back. "The guy's too pissed to give a damn about anything or anyone. So most likely, he'll know we'll try it, but he won't give a hoot."

Razor nodded and said: "His weakness is the scar on his chest. So a few good hits should be able to take care of him."

The four Navis looked at each other, then said the side they would take.

"Front."

"Back."

"Left."

"Right, let's do it!!"

Before Bass could even respond, the Navis shot in four different directions, and blindly, he started firing bursts of plasma at them all. A nagging voice in the back of his head told him to stop, but his anger silenced the voice quickly, and he kept it up for quite some time.

--

"Wide Sword!!! Slot in!!!"

--

Bass screamed when Proto lashed out with a strong sword at his back. His sensors went wild at the new invasion of pain, as he tried to restore the wound as fast as he could. With a growl, he whirled around to punch ProtoMan, but he had already vanished, leaving Bass all confused.

--

"Volcano Cannon!!! Slot in!!!"

--

A gush of burning hot plasma equal to the heat of lava hit him straight to his right arm, shot from a volcano-like cannon now situated on Muramasa's arm. The volcano was still smoking, as was Bass' arm, of which the armor and jumpsuit seemed to have melted. The girl showed no compassion on her face, but it was clear in her eyes she felt slightly uncomfortable about it all. But even so, once the cannon vanished, she continued running.

--

"Ryouten Kunai!!! Slot in!!!"

--

The two stars hit his left arm and were instantly buried deep inside, making him flinch and almost want to scream. And he probably would've if he hadn't been choking on quite some gallons of his own blood. Ragna smirked and gave himself a mental pat on the shoulder for his aim, before he zoomed right off again, letting Bass deal with the pain on his own.

--

"Air Sword!!! Slot in!!!"

--

When Bass looked up to in front of him, he was already too late to stop the green and blue Navi. The sword lashed out in a violent motion, and for a second, he felt no pain. But then it struck it him like a tidal wave, surging through his entire being as the scar on his chest was now reopened and bleeding viciously like there was no tomorrow.

But that wasn't what hurt the most. It was the memories that accompanied it.

Before he lost consciousness completely, he found the strength to utter a single sentence around chipped lips, and a mouthful of dark purple, nearly black cyberblood.

"But I didn't do anything……"

And then… darkness…

--

"I always wanted an older brother… but mamma said she didn't want more than two children…"

"I could be your brother if you want me to."

"You?! But you're just… sorry in advance, you're just a piece of data!"

"So? Do you have to be related by blood or any of that nonsense to be a family?"

"Well… no."

"Then I don't see the problem."

"Ahahahaha! I guess there isn't any then, huh?"

"Right."

--

"Brother…"

"Yeah, sis?

"Hey, listen. Even if I never get out of here, thank you."

"Wha?? For what???"

"For just being here. Thank you… brother."

"……You're welcome… sis."

--

'Thank you for your help. You cleared sis' name, and for that, I'll always be grateful for you. But why didn't you visit us? You promised you'd be there, remember? I waited, and waited, and waited, but you never showed up. We're leaving Netopia, and I don't want you to come looking for where we stay. I'm glad you cleared sis' name, but I can't forgive you for breaking your promise. I want you to stay out of my life from now on. I have no desire to ever see you again.'

--

She… she's crying… why are you crying…?

I'm here now…

I'm sorry… I'm so sorry I wasn't there when you needed me…

Please… I'm sorry…

I wanted to come… but they wouldn't… I couldn't…

Father couldn't help… he wanted to…

He tried so hard… and it didn't help at all…

And I… I wasn't strong enough to… to escape…

But I…

I didn't do anything wrong…

I didn't do…

I didn't…

I…

…………

…Why…

……Why are……

………Why are you………

…………crying?…………

Please… please don't…

Don't cry…

Please… please stop…

Stop… please stop…… please…………please…………please…………

--

Bits and pieces of different sentences went in and out of his ear, large pieces of information missing. But the sentences still made sense to him.

"…still breathing…… escaped deletion again…"

Sounded like that girl Navi… Muramasa, was it?

"……guy made off??"

And that was that sword guy, the one with the green hair.

"Chunks of data with……"

That's that other swordfighter. Easy to tell as he didn't know that voice yet.

"Shut…"

Looks like greenhead was getting a tidbit angry.

"…'s right though."

Hey, wasn't shortie supposed to be out?? How long had _he_ been out anyway?

"…do we do…??"

That's that tall guy with the lance. No doubt about it.

Silence for a moment, then a slightly trembling, almost crying voice said: "Just… just delete him if you want. I won't… won't object."

…!!!! No! No it… it wasn't possible!!!

More silence, but this time, there was the sound of a Buster being charged echoing through his head. He made sure his fear wouldn't show on his face, because believe it or not, he was afraid of deletion. The thought of not knowing what awaited him, scared him like hell. If there was something similar to hell and heaven, he'd most likely be sent to hell.

But if his life was hell already… he couldn't imagine how _real_ hell would be.

"Matte."

Muramasa's voice broke through his thoughts, scattering everything about death or deletion, and focussing on the girl's voice, surprised at the single word. It stopped the Buster from charging almost instantly. Silence for a moment, until the red swordfighter spoke up.

"What are you saying?"

"You wouldn't attack blueberry while he's out, would you?"

"What? 'Blueberry'??"

"I think she's talking about MegaMan," the tall guy said calmly. "And I can't help but agree with Muramasa. I mean, if my enemy was out, there'd be no way that I would attack him or her. That's stooping to his level."

Silence, until greenhead spoke up again.

"I guess you're right."

"I know I am, bushhead."

"Shut up, squirt."

"Urusai yourself."

'Bushhead', 'squirt' and 'blueberry'??? What's with all the nicknames?

"Chotto matte," Muramasa said and calm footsteps were heard.

They stopped not far away from him, and he did his best to lie as still as possible. If they figured he was awake, they'd surely delete him.

"Hora! I know you're awake, so quit acting like you're not!"

Well, so much for that.

--

Painfully, Bass managed to open his eyes, but his vision had gone rather blurry. It was hard to make things out, but he still managed to recognize Muramasa's figure hovering above him.

"Well, it's about time you woke up!" her voice said a little angry, but there was a tiny tinge of relief in it.

More footsteps followed, and Bass could see Muramasa looking up at someone else.

"Need help?" Razor asked calmly.

Muramasa nodded, and bent down beside Bass. The other Navi followed shortly.

"Ichi… ni… san!" Muramasa counted, and the duo pulled the black and gold Navi back to his feet, throwing his arms over their shoulders as they did.

Bass gave a slight groan of pain, but that was that.

"Alright, so where do we take this guy?" Ragna asked.

Proto didn't respond. He just watched as Muramasa and Razor pulled Bass along across their shoulders, their free arms around the guy's waist. It was as though they were helping a close friend up to their feet, and not someone they'd been trying to delete only an hour ago.

They were really an odd bunch.

Quint seemed to think for a while, then smiled and said: "Shun might be able to help him!!"

The red Navi instantly focussed his eyes on Quint in shock and surprise.

'What the heck!?! Not the same Shun from Gospel, is it?!!?' he thought desperately, hoping they wouldn't have to go there.

But…

"Good plan, Quint! Let's go!!"

'Crap.'

--

"So, he'll be just fine?" Ragna asked, looking at Bass as he was recovering from his wounds.

"Yep!" Shun said with a nod.

Muramasa suddenly turned to Shun and said: "By the way, I didn't introduce myself before. My name's Muramasa.EXE."

"Pleasure to meet you. Razor already told us about you. He said you were really strong!" Shun said, a smile appearing on his face.

Muramasa blinked and looked over at Razor, but the other Navi wasn't facing her, even though it was clear he was suppressing a grin. She didn't bother though, and turned to Shun's Navi.

The smaller Navi looked up at her, and gulped a little, before saying: "Uh… hi."

"Same. So, what's your name anyway?" Muramasa asked.

"Quint.EXE."

"Pleasure."

Ragna suddenly coughed, making Muramasa look over at him.

"Nani?" she asked.

"Would you mind explaining how you happen to know Razor?" Ragna asked calmly.

Razor frowned suddenly and said, loud enough for them both to hear: "I should be asking how she knows someone like you."

Ragna growled audibly, but Razor paid it no heed.

--

Proto was watching the scene from a distance. He noticed that Razor and Ragna didn't really seem to like each other. For obvious reasons, but Proto was left wondering if Muramasa even had an interest like that in either of them.

Muramasa had said once that there hadn't been anyone she had ever cared enough about to call 'boyfriend'. Or 'girlfriend', seeing as she had no idea of herself whether she was attracted to guys, galls, or both.

Still, he was curious to see who was more important to her; Ragna, or Razor.

--

"What's the matter with you two?!" Muramasa asked, totally not getting what was going on.

"Nothing, forget it," Razor mumbled, averting his eyes from them.

Muramasa looked from Ragna to Razor, confused as hell, before giving a mental shrug and letting it slide.

"Anyway, I've known Ragna since 6th grade, seeing as that was when Shine got me, and Jinn was a classmate of hers. And I met Razor a few years ago in Australia in a mall," she explained calmly.

Before anyone could say anymore, Proto finally entered the conversation.

"Oh, so you're that Navi that activated the fire-alarms in the mall?" he asked, a smirk playing on his lips.

Razor blinked, and turned to Muramasa, who simply chuckled at the memory.

The green and blue Navi then turned back to Proto and asked: "Yeah, so what?"

Proto shrugged and said: "Well, Muramasa says you're a 'freaking daredevil'."

"Well he/I is/am!! Huh??" Muramasa and Razor looked at each other in absolute confusion.

It didn't take long for everyone to burst out laughing.

--

Z: ………………Ow……………

Miri-chan: Sis! Are you alright?! You're not hurt are you!?

Z: ……………

Enzan: Hey, what's wrong with you?! You sick or something!?

D. Zero: Shut up, skunk-boy!!

Enzan: What was that?!?!

E-kun: Alright knock it off, both of you!! [walks to Z]

Z: …………[stares straight ahead]

E-kun: Zeal-sama? Are you alright?

Z: …………[chuckles] Neva been betta!

Everyone: OO!!!

Z (????): 'Ey!!! Wha're y'all starin' at!?!? Do Ah got somethin' on ma face or wha?!

Chibi-chan: Uh…………Z??? You alright? You… uh… act… strange…

Z (????): [cackles maniacally] Ah'm bloody fine!!! Ah've neva felt any betta 't'll!!

D. Zero: ……… : [pulls out Z-Saber] Alright, who the fuck are you and what did you do to Zeal!?!

Z (????): Ah AM Zeal, ya mortal fool! And ye [points at D. Zero with a feral grin] shoul' learn yer place 'round here!! Or ya migh' find this baby [pulls out own saber] shoved straight up yer arse!!!

D. X: [pulls out X-Buster] Watch it, girl. Don't want this thing to go off, now do we?

Z (????): [laughs insanely] Jus' try me!! Go on!!! Jus' fire if ya dare ta!!!

Delta: ??? Something's definitely not right here.

Z (????): Oh shut yer bloody yap ya goddamn excuse fer a canine!!!

Delta: O.O!!!

Gamma: What on Earth?!?!

D. Zero & D. X: [look at each other, then turn to Zeal (????)]

D. X: Who are you?! There's NO way that you can be Zeal!!!

Z (????): [cackles] Like it matters!!! Ye, and the rest 'f ya bloody Mavericks, can consider yerselves retired!!!!

Everyone: Mavericks?!?!?!

Z (????): [screams and lungs]

D. Zero: LOOK OUT!!! [jumps forward and blocks Zeal's (????) saber]

Miri-chan: Aaaaah!!! Sis!!! Stop it!!! We're not Mavericks!!!

Z (????): [laughs while fighting D. Zero] Do ya seriously think Ah'd listen ta ye Maverick scum?!?! DIE!!!! [lungs out and stabs D. Zero]

D. Zero: [chokes on blood and drops to the ground]

D. X: ZERO!!!!!

Enzan: Oh my god!!

Beta: Zero-kun!!!

Z (????): Tha's one 'f 'em. Now fer the rest 'f 'em.

D. X: YOU FUCKING BITCH!!!! [lungs at Zeal (????)]

Z (????): HAHAHA!!! C'mon!!! Le's play!!! [lashes out with saber]

Chibi-chan: X!!! LOOK OUT!!!! [jumps into the battle]

Gamma: Hey whoa!!! Chibiki!! Wait up!!! [flies after Chibi-chan]

Miri-chan: [trembles]

Enzan: Ah crap… this just _can't_ be good!

__

DISCONTINUED UNTIL ZEAL RETURNS TO NORMAL


	19. Chapter VII Part 1: Your Worst NightMare...

****

D. Zero: Right, Z's still in quarantine, but we suspected you might be expecting this sometime, so I managed to snag this from sis' PC.

D. X: So how'd you manage to do that?

D. Zero: That's for me to know and for you not to find out.

D. X: Hey!

Chibi-chan: [walks in and sighs] Zeal's shut off now.

D. Zero: Did you disable her teleporter?

Chibi-chan: Gate did. And _YES_, I disabled her Buster, and catch! [tosses saber at D. Zero]

D. Zero: [catches saber] Thanks. We can't afford her to escape again.

Miri-chan: [enters the room] There's a total amount of 200 dead bodies, with but 23 humans among them.

Chibi-chan: TWOHUNDRED!?!?! IN 15 MINUTES?!?!!? YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!!!

Miri-chan: I wish…

D. Zero: Both of you… shut up.

------------------------------------

TJ and Rikumon: _D. X: That's what we're trying to find out!_

Sol Sabre: _D. Zero: Hey, can't do things faster than they're already going! _

Pyrogirll23: _D. X: Most likely, BUT, who's going to get the girl?_

Song: _D. Zero: Yeah, so do we! [rubs stomach]_

Red Chaos Mage: _D. X: She should be powerful! Oh, and, one more thing. [pulls out X-Buster] You mention that whore's name again and I'll fucking kill you!!!_

Trinity: _D. Zero: She'll be fine. And yes, Forte's alright._

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter VII Part 1: Your Worst NightMare.EXE

"Well, that's one more Navi to the scrapheap."

"Navis don't go to scrapheaps."

"Then what am I supposed to say?!"

"I dunno."

"Right, why'd I even ask?"

--

It'd been almost 3 months now since the battle with Bass, and surprisingly, they hadn't heard from the guy in a long time. That was strange enough on its own, but the extra fact that Bass had said absolutely nothing to any of them after having been recovered was even more confusing.

But they tried not to think of it, and just went on with their lives, and their jobs. They had trashed a whole bunch of copies of other, deleted Navis, like MagicMan, PharaohMan, ColoredMan, StoneMan, FreezeMan, and a whole lot more. But they had also trashed a whole new bunch of them. 

Amongst them had been the lethal SparkMan, a Navi with an even more powerful electric discharge than ElecMan could ever _hope_ to get. Man, that guy had been tough. If MegaMan and Lan hadn't shown up when they did, they would've lost for sure. 

Muramasa stretched her arms, and popped her knuckles, because if she didn't, they'd get rusty, as she always said. Her helmet was off, as she had complained about the heat a little while ago. Just for the hell of it, she ruffled her own hair, clearly avoiding a certain spot on the back of her head. 

"Blueberry's a tough fighter," she mumbled suddenly. "I'm impressed, being able to take that guy out so easily. But what was that changing his colors anyway?" she asked, placing her helmet on the table and sitting down.

Proto sighed and pulled off his own helmet, shaking the tresses loose from his head, which had been pressed against his skull because of his helmet. After that, he put the still loose tresses behind his ears to keep them away from his eyes.

"Well," he started, sitting down as well, "that was something we all know as a Style-Change. It changes your element, and your strength as well. The one you saw back there was WoodGuts."

"Souda. So what does 'Guts' mean?" Muramasa asked, seemingly rather curious about these Style-Changes.

"What? Didn't you see Mega's arm?"

"Yeah, but what was the use of that colossal thing? It's good to hit someone with it, I could've figured that out, but what else is it for?"

Proto hung his head in exasperation. Sometimes she was just so dense! 

"Can you imagine that thing becoming a Buster?" he asked instead.

Muramasa blinked, then gazed at the ceiling in thought. 

"Hmmmm… hai, but it would be one big gun though, and I dislike big guns, really." 

"Huh? How come?"

Muramasa simply answered it with a shrug of her shoulders and rested her head on the knuckles of her left hand. She appeared to be quite bored, but she said nothing. 

"By the way," Proto suddenly said, interrupting the silence that had fallen around them, "you never noticed Ragna and Razor arguing about you?"

Muramasa looked up, confused, then frowned and asked: "Nani?"

"Did you?" Proto repeated.

Silence, and Muramasa humphed, and closed her eyes.

"Those two? Give me a break. Why would they even bother with something like that?" she asked, obviously not interested. 

"Who's more important to you?" Proto suddenly asked, making Muramasa look up.

"Excuse me?" she demanded.

Proto didn't answer. Muramasa stared down at the table in thought, as if processing what she had just received. 

There was silence for a long time, with Muramasa lost in thought. When she held up her hands, Proto was confused, until he noticed Muramasa looking at them intently. Apparently, she was weighing, though instead of their weight, she was weighing their importance to her. 

After a long silence, Muramasa let her hands fall to the table and hung her head with a cry of frustration.

"Gah!! Don't make me choose between those two!!!" she finally said, looking up at Proto. "It's like choosing between cream and ecru!!!"

Proto raised an eyebrow and asked: "What's the difference?"

"There isn't any!! That's the whole point!!!"

--

"Hey, Chaud?" Shine asked, looking up from the book she was reading.

"Hmm?" Chaud simply asked, not even looking up.

Shine didn't bother. She was used to it by now.

"Chaud, it's been… what? Four, five months and I haven't seen your father _once_! What kind of job does that guy have anyway?" Shine asked.

Chaud didn't answer. Or at least, right away. Shine was known to be mighty persistent when it came to asking things. And if Shine asked for something, she expected to get it, and she would, even if it killed her.

"One that doesn't include me," Chaud finally mumbled.

Shine rolled her eyes, and was about to retort, when she snapped her mouth shut. Her eyes flashed from side to side a few times, indicating she heard something but wasn't sure where it came from. Chaud finally ripped his eyes from the book and listened carefully. 

"I don't hear anything," Chaud finally said.

Shine however, put her book down and made for the window. She looked outside, and immediately noticed a certain black-haired kid standing there a vicious glare on his face. The silver pieces of jewelry he had reflected the sunlight, catching her eye instantly. 

But the worst about him, were the piercing blue eyes, completely heartless, and with pure anger and hatred etched in the sparkling irises. 

It was a look that clearly said; 'don't mess with me'.

Shine felt something akin to anger and hatred bubble up in her stomach, but there was something else as well. But whatever it was, it was miniscule, and unimportant, compared to the other feelings running through her. Emotions she wouldn't allow.

"Chaud…" Shine said calmly, not averting her eyes at all.

Chaud blinked, closed his book and walked over to stand beside her.

"Who's that?" the smaller girl asked, not even bothering to look at the taller boy.

Chaud looked at her oddly, then turned to the street. He watched for a moment, then sighed.

"I told you, he's trouble. Just stay away from him."

"Trouble doesn't suit as a name," Shine said, still not looking away.

Only when the young man turned around and walked away, hands in his pockets, did she turn to him.

Chaud gave a sigh.

"Rei Thimoto, 17 years of age, and bad news. He's been thrown in jail before because he spread viruses for no good reason. His Navi and PET hadn't been found, so he still has his original Navi. He's as bad as Rei is."

"Which is?"

"Zero Omega. The name stands for Rei's personal record, as does his nickname."

Shine looked a little curious.

"Amongst his friends, he's known as 'X'. X is also the Roman 10. His record was 10 Navis deleted under a minute without a single hit inflicted on his own Navi. Which had been a standard at the time."

Shine was left gawking, and turned back to the window, looking in the direction X had walked in.

"Kala… he must be good," she mumbled.

"Well, I'll tell you this, he's completely stopped listening to anyone when he got Zero, and he lost it."

"How do you know so much?" Shine finally asked. 

Chaud smirked and said: "That's my little secret."

Shine simply shrugged.

"Fine. Suit yourself."

--

"Alright, I'll explain _one_ more time! Get it!?" Proto said, seeming slightly peeved.

Muramasa simply twirled a strand of hair around her finger, while leaning with her elbow on the table. The girl seemed quite bored.

"Like I said, I'm listening, but I doubt it'll make any more sense than your last explanation," she mumbled.

Proto took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

'I can't believe this! She's so… dense when it comes to stuff like this! How'd that happen!?'

"Right, so, Ragna and Razor are both your friends, _but_ they seem to think different about that. And you barely seem to notice anything of their arguments, or the clear hints they're giving!!" Proto said, clearly steamed.

Muramasa gave a sigh.

"Look, if they're interested, either one of them, they can just come to me and tell me, they know that. But I'm just not too sure whether I care in the same fashion for them. Does _that_ satisfy your question?"

Proto growled in anger, but before he could say anymore, Muramasa put on her helmet, and got up. 

"I'm going out for a while. Ja ne!" she said, and was off.

Proto sighed in anger and put his head in his hands. 

'She is so dense!!'

--

'Where should I go?' Muramasa wondered to herself, walking across the Net with her Buster charged but hidden.

But even though she seemed calm, her thoughts were a complete mess. 

'Who's more important to me?… Ragna or Razor…… Oh kami-sama… how'm I supposed to figure that out?!' she thought. 'I mean, they're both important to me, but who's more important??'

The black and gray Navi gave a sigh as she continued walking.

"'Ey there!!" a voice suddenly said, making Muramasa look up.

She was looking right at a Navi with sapphire blue eyes and golden blond hair, who was carrying a sword in her hand, instead of having it in the sheath on her belt.

"Ya look like ye're in big trouble. Somethin' the matter?" she asked.

Muramasa sighed again and said: "Even if I was, what makes you say I'd tell you?"

With that said, she started to walk away.

"Hey, hey, hey!!!" the girl said, running after her until she was walking beside Muramasa. "Wha's the deal? I'm jus' tryin' ta be helpful here!"

"Yeah, well I don't need help," Muramasa said and sped up so she passed the other girl.

"Everybody needs help every now and---YAAAH!!!" 

The girl's sentence was cut short when she got a Buster aimed straight into her face.

"Listen here and listen good, 'cause I'll only say it once; I've got an itchy Buster, so you better leave me alone right now," Muramasa hissed threateningly, before stalking away, anger clear in her walk.

Muramasa continued to walk, one hand on her Buster, still angry, but still confused as well. Her thoughts were all screwed up, and she had no idea how to get them on track again. She tried, but she just couldn't do it anymore.

--

Sonica frowned and pulled down her goggles. With a simple command, she zoomed in on the other Navi, or more precisely, her face. The Navi looked angry, confused, and thoughtful at the exact same time. As if she was thinking about something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

'Hmmm…'

"Will you stop staring at me!?" the Navi suddenly shouted, whirling around in anger.

"EEP!!!" Sonica squealed, surprised as she pulled off her goggles. "How'd ya know I was lookin' at ya?!"

"Like I'd tell you!! Now get lost!!!"

--

"Ya wan' me ta wha!?!"

"You heard me!! Now get moving!!!"

"Okay, okay! Geez, chill out man!! Plug in!!"

"Grrrroooooohooohh!!!"

--

Muramasa easily made it to KotoSquare, and shifted her Buster into her hand quickly. It doesn't look very good to go walking around with a Buster out in a Square. Muramasa wasn't crazy. 

After a while of walking past stores, and avoiding bumping into any other Navis, Muramasa felt that something was out of place. She stopped, and all other Navis simply walked around her, not even bothering that she had suddenly stopped in the middle of the path. 

"_Grrrrrrrrrrroooooooooohooooooohoooooooohoooooooooohhh!!_"

Muramasa's advanced hearing easily picked up the strange sound and she looked around to find the source of the sound. She didn't even notice she was the only one who heard it.

--

Shine pulled out some orange juice from the fridge. She checked the expiration date first, and after making sure it was still fine, poured herself some. 

"Chaud!" Shine called out to the garden, where Chaud most likely was. "You want some juice too?"

"No, thank you," Chaud called out.

The whitehead gave a shrug and walked into the garden as well, her glass in one hand, and the book she'd been reading previously in her other. As she walked toward the garden, she took a small sip, not taking note that the juice had a slightly coppery taste, as she took small sips at a time. She licked her lips to catch a stray drop, before she entered the garden.

"Sure you don't want any?" Shine asked, lying down in the couchswing, with one foot on the ground.

Chaud didn't even look up from the book he was reading when he said: "Yeah, I'm sure."

Shine shrugged her shoulders and took another small sip while opening her book.

--

Two piercing blue eyes watched, framed by locks of pitch-black hair. He stood in the shadows, and he watched as Shine read her book, as well as drank from her orange juice.

His lips quirked up into a violent smirk, and he finally walked off with a final glance at Shine.

--

The sound was coming from a dark alley, to her left. As if hypnotized, Muramasa walked toward it, her feet seeming to carry her away. And when she stepped into the alley, the darkness seemed to swallow her up, due to her armor coloring.

Her pupils contracted as her eyes made contact with two flaming red orbs farther back in the darkness. Muramasa walked toward the source of the two orbs, like a moth flying straight at a light. A large claw with four fingers beckoned her closer and closer, and the gray-haired Navi could do nothing about it.

"_Grrrrrrooooohhhh!!_"

--

"I wonder what Muramasa's doing…" Shine mumbled softly. 

"Why don't you check then?" Chaud asked calmly.

Shine shrugged her shoulders again, and pulled out her PET while sitting up. She flipped it on, but…

"Huh??" Shine exclaimed as she saw the static on the screen. "What the??"

Chaud looked up in confusion. Shine sat up, looking confused as she switched her PET off and on multiple times. 

"I think my PET's broken!" she said, looking at the other whitehead. 

Chaud walked over and looked at the screen for a moment. 

"Do the other functions work?" he asked.

Shine tapped in commands, but Chaud noticed that her hand was slightly trembling. It took a little longer than normal, as her hands were violently trembling, and strangely enough, sweat was starting to gather on her forehead. 

"Hai… everything else works," she finally said, looking over her shoulder at Chaud.

The words barely registered in his mind when he noticed her face. Her skin was but two shades darker than her hair, and her pupils were contracted, as if she was in some sort of pain. Pain she herself was not aware of.

"Well, that's not good. Send an email to those friends of yours, I'll send ProtoMan to go look for her!" Chaud said, and rushed back inside the house.

He had no idea that that was going to be the worst mistake he ever made.

--

With a smooth slice, Razor easily tore apart all practice-Navis with absolute ease. He landed on the ground and watched as the Navis evaporated in blue particles.

"Mike!! Raise the level!!!" he shouted.

"Alright!! Get ready!!!" Mike said, and was about to start the program when--

__

Bring!! Bring!!

Razor blinked, but opened the com-link between whoever called and Mike.

"Mike Necros?" a strange voice questioned.

"Yeah? Who is this?" Mike asked in return.

"You want to save your girl, then you better hurry to KotoSquare with that 3rd class Navi of yours… You have got 5 minutes… do not disappoint me."

__

Click! Beep!! Beep!!

"Wha?? My girl??" Mike asked, confused. "I don't have a girl."

Razor thought it over for a few moments. He repeated the conversation over and over again in his head. And finally, it slid into place.

"Oh FUCK!!!" Razor screamed, and dashed off, heading for the Net. "Mike! Go to that Blaze's place!! It's Shine and Muramasa they're after!!!"

And he was gone.

At the same time, Mike rushed from the hotel, having figured it out as well. This was NOT good.

--

__

……Where… where am I?…

Why… why is it so dark?…

Brother… brother, where are you…?

I don't understand… what's happening to me?

Mama… Papa… Sis… where… where is everyone…?

…W… why…

……Why is…… why is…

Why is nobody helping me……?

……………………

…Brother……… brother……… brother! 

Brother!!! Help me!!! Please!!!

--

Two bloodred eyes snapped to attention, and the black and gold Navi turned his head, a confused expression on his face. But then it turned to anger, and he shot off in the direction of Koto within mere seconds. 

--

Proto arrived on the Net, and looked around carefully. If he were Muramasa, where would he go?

That was a pretty good question, where _would_ he go?

"Crap," he mumbled.

A tap on his shoulder made him whirl around in surprise, and he was surprised to see a rather distressed Razor standing behind him. He seemed both worried and pissed off at the same time, and his face couldn't seem to make up which emotion to show.

"Lemme guess, Muramasa's in trouble," he said simply.

"Uh… yeah… but how…" Proto started, but couldn't finish as Razor roughly pulled him along by his arm.

"No time to chat!!" Razor shouted, the worry and anger clear in his voice.

--

They were heading in the direction of KotoSquare, as fast as they could. The two swordfighters had no idea of what could be waiting for them, but there was no way they would stop now. As they ran, time slowly ticked on, drawing closer and closer to the five-minute time-limit set by someone unknown to either of them, even though only one of them knew of the time-limit.

But it was enough, as both knew that any second wasted meant they were one step closer to never seeing Muramasa again. And that was the one thing they couldn't afford.

--

Mike came to a halt in front of the large house, and couldn't deny that he was impressed. 

'Well, I gotta hand it to him, he does have a nice house,' he thought smugly, before knocking on the door, having sneaked past the gate easily, and unnoticed to boot. 'Low class security though.'

Not long after having knocked on the door, it opened and a rather stressed up Chaud stood there, though it was clear he was trying to hide it.

"What are you doing here?" Chaud asked, looking really confused.

Mike raised an eyebrow, and asked: "Can I come in first?"

The whitehead frowned a little, but stepped aside nonetheless. Mike rushed in immediately.

"Where's Shine?" he asked right away, getting right to the point.

Chaud blinked twice, but said calmly: "The garden most likely."

"You lead!" Mike said, frowning both in worry and anger. "I had a rather disturbing call about…" he quickly checked his watch, "…OH FUCK!!!"

The other boy looked rather confused, but Mike seemed really distressed, even more than he was. 

Mike turned to Chaud and said hurriedly: "You check on Shine! I have to help Razor! Can I plug in around here?!"

Chaud nodded mutely, directed Mike to the closest port, and then rushed off to check on Shine.

--

Mere seconds before the time-limit passed, Razor and Proto arrived at KotoSquare, but it seemed to be just fine.

The duo stood there for a few seconds, catching their breath, before deciding wordlessly to move on. To… wherever.

--

"They are here…" a raspy female voice said, watching the Navis walk through the city. "Pity, I truly wanted to see how loud you can scream."

The Navi spoken to did not respond. Contracted pupils couldn't focus on a single thing, and her entire body was as limp as a rag. All that moved was her chest, which moved in time with her even breathing, but it was almost unnoticeable, giving the appearance that she wasn't in some sort of narcoses, but plain dead in the bigger Navi's claw.

One of the claw's fingers prodded into her tummy, making her body twitch involuntarily. 

A bloodthirsty grin appeared, and the same voice whispered: "But that does not mean they can spoil my fun, hmm?"

No response, safe for the single crystalline tear falling from her eye.

--

As they moved on, it suddenly occurred to them; the Square was absolutely deserted!

There were no Navis walking around, not a single one. Total silence was around them, which couldn't be cut through with a sword even if one tried, and it seemed to swallow up everything in that deathly silence. They turned their heads back and forth, utterly confused, and unable to comprehend what was going on.

For one of the few times in his life when he wasn't around Muramasa, did Proto remove his visor, showing the deep magenta eyes that showed nothing but utter confusion. But Razor did not see, and was straining his ears to hear even the slightest noise, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hear a single sound. The city was like a ghost town from cheap B-movies, as there were no corpses, blood, torn down houses, or any of the stuff you always see in the modern ghost towns. 

But even so, this was starting to get really creepy.

Razor slowly backed up, one step every ten seconds. Proto was also backing up, at about the same speed as Razor.

__

Thump.

"WAAAAH!!!" they screamed when their backs suddenly knocked together, and they both whirled around, swords drawn and ready to delete, until they realized who they were looking at.

With heavy sighs, they retracted their blades, and turned away from each other in slight embarrassment for overreacting like that. The silence threatened to return, so Razor hurriedly tried to contact his Operator.

"Hey Mike! Mike! Do you read?" he asked, but all he got was a loud static in his ear, making him cut off connection immediately.

He rubbed his ears with a groan, muttering curse-words under his breath for no good reason at all.

"Problem?" Proto asked, quickly sliding his visor back into place.

Razor was about to retort, but thought better of it.

"Contact your Operator," he said instead. 

Proto blinked his eyes behind his visor, but did so nonetheless.

"Chaud! Come in! Chaud!!" he cried out, but like Razor, all he got was static. "Darn it!!"

Razor cursed some more, until---

"_Grrrrrroooooooooohoooooooooohooo!!!_"

The low sound was barely audible at first, but then it increased, becoming louder and louder, until it was almost painful. But the sound was cut off by an explosion that sounded at the very top of the building they were standing next to.

"LOOK OUT!!!" Razor screamed, and both Navis dived aside, crying out as the explosion sent them away, and scratched at their armor and skin.

The explosion's sound hadn't left yet, or another explosion followed it within but mere seconds, this time on a lower floor. The explosions came faster after each other with each time, and constantly lower, and finally, both Navis were forced to run, before being blown away and crashing into the pavement of the streets.

Razor tried to get up again, but for some reason, his head was spinning, he couldn't focus any longer, and his limbs seemed to turn to mush. But when a shadow fell upon him, he managed to raise his head, staring up into a set of burning red eyes, like Bass'… only worse.

Far worse.

--

"Razor!!! Goddamnit!!! What's going on!?!" Mike demanded in anger, hitting the jack-in port in his tantrum.

The boy took a deep breath, and tried to calm down, which seemed to help a lot. 

'Calm down, Mike…' he told himself sternly. 'You can't help Razor… so you might as well go help Chaud.'

"Right," he mumbled, pulled his PET from the port and dashed toward the garden. 

--

"Holy crap!!!" Mike exclaimed upon arriving at the garden.

Shine was sprawled over the couchswing, her PET lying on the ground, screen shattered, and her expression one of pure terror and pain, even though her eyes were closed. Chaud was holding a glass in his hand, and turning it every which way, before sniffing at the edge of it. His eyes instantly widened at whatever he smelled.

"Oh god!! What happened?!" Mike demanded rushing over quickly.

Chaud turned to him and said: "She's been drugged. Someone managed to spike her drink."

Mike gaped at Chaud, and then turned to Shine, who was as pale as her own hair, and breathing frantically, as if having run 4 miles without stopping. 

"We have to get her to a hospital!!" the black-haired teen finally said.

Chaud nodded and said: "The ambulance is already und…"

The boy looked away from Shine and listened carefully.

"…Here."

--

"Your girl is in one of the buildings in the Square," the raspy voice belonging to the large Navi said, and Razor couldn't remember where he'd heard that voice before. "You have 15 minutes to find her, or else… well, you can say goodbye to the little slut."

The last word was enough to snap Razor to attention, and his blood instantly started boiling.

"Don't… call… Muramasa… a… slut… you… BASTARD!!!!" he screamed and lunged out with his blades, but both missed.

As his vision began to clear, he nearly choked at what her saw.

The Navi… had _no arms or legs_!!! She had two sharp shoulderplates with spikes at the underside, a diamond-shaped bloodgem in the center of her chest, and four leaves of silver behind it. Her lower-body was just a large triangular block, and she hovered above the ground, without the use of the massive demonic black and silver wings she had, which were thrice the size of her entire body. On her forehead rested a single bloodred gem, and her eyes were hidden in shadows, but her irises stood out against the dark and glowed a mystifying hue. The skin on her face was chalk-white, and was a true contrast to all the black, red, and silvers of her armor. Not far from the spikes under her shoulderplates, hovered two massive claws with four fingers, large enough to easily snap him in half, while her body seemed about the same height as his own. Also, from the top of her scalp, came a long mass of deep purplish hair, close to black, but not quite there. The hands spun in small circles, the claws always directed at him.

"Who…!?!" Razor tried to utter, moving away from the seriously frightening-looking Navi, who seemed pretty much ready to murder, if the look on her face was anything to go by.

"Am I?" the Navi finished, the black lips barely moving as the two words left her throat and mouth. "My program is the Maverick.DAT file, and my name…" the Navi was silent, lips pursed in a straight line, but showing obvious signs of anger, "…is NightMare.EXE."

-- 

****

Chibi-chan: Crap, talk about your average Bad-Navi!

D. Zero: You're telling me. By the way, how much Bad-Navis do we have?

Miri-chan: [counting on her fingers] Three…?

D. X: Ah crap! We need more than that!!

Delta: By the way, what's up with that 'Maverick.DAT'??

D. X: Guess.


	20. Chapter VII Part 2: Countdown

****

D. Zero: Hey guys!! Guess who's back!!

Chibi-chan: Oo??? Back?? Who could be back here anyway?

Miri-chan: I dunno…

D. X: [smirks]

Enzan: Well, who's back, Zero?

D. Zero: Well…

Z: [walks into the room, holding her head] Cripes, does my head frigging hurt or WHAT?!?!

Everyone: OO!!!!

Miri-chan: SIS!!! [runs straight into Z's arms]

Z: YIPES!!!

Chibi-chan: Just when the hell did YOU leave the Med-bay?! You had us all worried!!!

Z: …… [confused] What are you talking about? You all know that no Maverick's ever going retire me, don't you?

Enzan: Oo Whoa, did you forget or something? You weMMPH!!! [gets mouth covered by D. Zero's hand]

Z: Huh???

D. Zero: Forget it sis, it wasn't important.

Z: Oo???

D. Zero: Ahem, guys, can I talk to you, _in private if you may!?_ [glowers]

Chibi-chan: OO;; Uh… yeah, sure.

Miri-chan: [gulp] O-okay.

Everyone but Z: [leave Z to herself]

Z: [stares, then shrugs and picks up pencil and paper to start drawing]

*Meanwhile*

Enzan: She doesn't REMEMBER?!?!

D. Zero: Will you shush!?!?!? I asked RCM to remove her memories from up until she passed out, as well as the few minutes before it. 

D. X: That way, she'll never know it was her who killed all those Reploids and humans. 

L-chan: All for the better I say. Zeal-sama doesn't need to remember that too to feel even MORE uncomfortable.

E-kun: Tell me about it.

Miri-chan: I dun like the Cataclysm…

Chibi-chan: Miranda, shut up.

------------------------------------

Song: Hmmhmm. I know. But I used 'Chaud Blaze' in this story because I have no frigging clue what his dad's name is!

TJ and Rikumon: To be honest, I got the idea from Omega X from Mega Man Zero! You know, Copy X's last form. [he's pretty cute by the way ^_^] And thanks for the Style.

Sol Sabre: That's because the A/N were so short. For the rest, all chapters are equal length, which would be seven pages each. 

Pyrogirll23: Thanks! I would appreciate that!

Youkai Ryuu: ^_^

Red Chaos Mage: Thanks RCM. The boys don't really like that girl, and neither do I actually. And thanks.

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter VII Part 2: Countdown

"That went relatively well."

"Very much so, Sir."

"Ananda will 'take care' of our new friend back at the hospital."

"Sir, I was wondering…"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Ahem, Sir, you know how everyone says you need female… 'assistance'. Maybe she could…"

"Hmmm…"

"U-unless of course, you don't feel like it, Sir!"

"Actually, I think you just solved my little problem there."

"Huh??"

--

X didn't respond, and simply pulled out a small cylinder, which he put between his lips calmly. He reached in his pockets, fumbled around for a moment, and finally pulled out his lighter. He clicked it a few times, cursing angrily when it wouldn't cooperate, but finally, he managed to light his cigarette. 

Putting his lighter away, he took the cigarette in two fingers, and took a long drag, before pulling it out and blowing out the smoke from his mouth. He watched from the alley he was standing in as the ambulance drove off. With one hand on his elbow, and the other near his face, he looked at the two boys who staid behind on the front step, before both of them rushed back inside.

"They're in for a mighty big surprise… pretty soon. Zero?"

"Yes Sir?" Zero asked with his calm voice. 

"How much longer?"

Silence for a few seconds.

"21 days, 2 hours, 56 minutes, 10 seconds, and still counting."

X chuckled and took another drag.

"Very well," he replied, breathing out the smoke. "We're right on schedule. We should be off."

"Understood."

And with that, X put the cigarette between his lips and walked away, into the darkness of the alley.

--

And still the clock ticked on…

--

Razor dashed across the streets, as fast as he could while destroying all Handy viruses he encountered, before their bombs could go off. He didn't want to risk Muramasa being deleted; he just couldn't afford it. Proto had also begun searching, but the search was far more difficult than they would've guessed, as due to the large amount of viruses that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The buildings were exploding and collapsing everywhere around them, threatening to crush anyone whom came under the chucks falling down them.

And the worst about it, was that NightMare was also helping her hand at wrecking the place. She would do anything to make it tough on them. Her claws could move in every direction, as they weren't attached to her body, and easily smashed through practically all buildings like they were made out of paper.

Not only that, but she had a protective barrier shielding herself, as well as two thin walls that encircled her completely, hovering up and down slightly, with spikes on both top and bottom. And while her body still hovered miles above the surface, she was still causing a lot of damage.

Multiple times did they have to evacuate because the building they were in was about to collapse. And still time ticked on and on. And at the pace they were going, they would never be able to find Muramasa.

It took them quite a few seconds to realize just _where_ they were.

This… was hell…

--

"Pyra! The connection's gettin' weaker over here!!" Sonica said as she neared KotoSquare. 

"Yeah, so I-KGGG!-red…" a young girl's voice said. "Soni-KGGG!-be care-KGGG!-ul…"

"Dun worry!! I'll be bloody fine! Wish me luck!!"

And with that, Sonica pulled out her Sonic Saber, and rushed into the Square.

--

"Bloody hell!!!" Sonica exclaimed in shock as she took in the absolute chaos in the Square.

Viruses were everywhere, and practically all buildings in the Square were either burning or destroyed. It was a real massacre, even though there were no Navis in sight.

Then again…

Sonica pulled down her goggles, and looked up into the sky at the dark figure hovering there. The demonic eyes was the first she noticed, pupil-less, burning orbs of pure blood, which was the only thing noticeable in the dark brim of her helmet. 

All in all, the Navi was a mighty impressive sight, but even so, she looked like a real bitch.

Explosions sounded everywhere, engulfing the entire Square in nothing but flames. But Sonica suddenly noticed another pair of Navis, only this time on the ground. And she was rather surprised to see…

'Razor?? Wha's he doin' here??'

She zoomed in with her goggles, and noticed that the green-haired Navi was looking awfully distressed, as if he was threatening to lose somebody close to him. The other Navi was unfamiliar to Sonica, but he seemed to be on Razor's side. 

The blonde Navi glared up at the demonic-Navi hanging in the air, and commanded her systems to lock on and give any information she might have missed. 

--

**__**

Shield: Dark Aura

****

- HP shield: 300

****

- Reparation time: 3-4 seconds

****

- Recommended action: 2x Sonic Wave

--

Sonica smirked and held up her sword.

"Me thoughts exactly."

She studied the walls circling the other Navi, and asked for a little more info.

--

**__**

Walls: Unknown type

****

- HP walls: Unknown

****

- Circulation time: 15 seconds, 180 degrees

****

- Other info: Auto counterattack

****

- Recommended action: Avoid

--

"Okay! Here we go!!!" Sonica said, and raised her Sonic Saber.

She waited until the walls moved out of her way, before attacking. With powerful lashes of her saber, Sonica sent two deep blue waves at the hovering Navi. The two waves followed each other up perfectly, and were so wide that there was no way to avoid them.

So she thought.

--

NightMare lazily cocked her head back a little, amused at the assault sent her way from back. The first wave struck her Dark Aura, and the second threatened to hit her, but stopped short in front of her face. 

Sonica nearly dropped her saber in surprise, but had to jump aside quickly as the wave was suddenly sent her way. Apparently, that was not a good idea.

Sonica cried out as something suddenly grasped her tightly, trapping her arms against her sides and making her drop her saber. When Sonica looked down, she paled at the sight of a large claw having a hold on her. And it didn't seem too willing to let her go either.

Suddenly, the claw hovered upward, making Sonica yelp out in surprise as she was brought face-to-face with the Navi responsible for the mass-destruction of KotoSquare.

"And who might you be? I do not remember inviting you here," the Navi asked in an odd, raspy voice, as if she barely spoke.

"I dun need a bloody invitation!! 'N' ya betta pumme back down righ' now or I'll!!" Sonica threatened, but was cut off when she was jerked forward unexpectedly, bringing her face _very_ close to that of the other Navi, who's eyes seemed to burn with nothing but hatred and anger.

"Or you will what?" she asked threateningly, teeth gritted together and eyes narrowed to mere slits.

Sonica found herself frozen up from the closeness between herself and this dreadful Navi, who seemed to revel in every small sign of fear. Suddenly, with a violent jerk and a yell tearing from her throat, Sonica was sent flying, crashing through several buildings before landing against the solid ground, right in one of the buildings.

--

Razor panted for breath as he took out what must've been the six-hundredth virus in less than 3 minutes. Never before had Razor been forced to delete this many viruses within 15 minutes. And the time continued to tick on, leaving them with but 7 minutes to find Muramasa. But his energy was depleting, and he was starting to get dizzy from all the non-stop fighting. He wasn't one to complain, but this was just crazy!!

But still…

"We have to keep going…" he panted between huffs and puffs for air as he tried desperately to prevent himself from hyperventilating. "We can't stop!!!"

Proto lashed out at yet another virus, but his arm was really getting tired, and he'd have to take a rest sooner or later. Chaud and he had trained a lot, but this was far more than they ever trained with, without chips, that is. Had Chaud been there with his chips, most likely this would've been over already. But as it was, that wasn't the case, so he had to fend for himself, and well, he wasn't really used to that.

There was no way he could keep this up forever.

"This won't work…" he managed to ground out as more and more viruses swarmed around him, threatening to delete him if he even lowered his guard for a second. "At this rate, we're goners!"

The last part was muttered under his breath, but it didn't matter. Razor heard it easily.

And it was enough to refill his energy a little more.

"Shut up shut up!!" he screamed, lashing out a virus in fury, but almost hitting Proto as well. "We have to keep going!! We can't give up!!"

Proto was silent, but he still continued to fight on, without stopping this time.

--

"Owchie!" Sonica whimpered as she sat up. "Nasty bloody sunna---"

Whatever she had wanted to say was cut off by a pained whimper coming from a little further into the room. After closer inspection Sonica realized she had been knocked into a basement. Fire was swarming all over, heating up the entire room, and hot enough to melt metal, had they been real flames. 

Sonica didn't pay it much attention as she simply got to her feet, and wiped the soot from her goggles with the back of her hands.

"Ah bloody hell!!" she mumbled, and attempted to take them off, only to put them back on just as quick. "Crap! Two seconds 'n' already me eyes're burnin'!!"

Deciding on her goggles, she set it to search for body heat, instead of the heat of the fire. She slowly turned around in place, eyes scanning over everything she came across. Finally…

'There!!'

Sonica made the goggles give her a slightly darker vision to protect her eyes, and she started running toward the source. She carefully avoided the flames, and made her way toward the Navi resting there, although it wasn't a very peaceful one. Sonica easily recognized her though.

''Ey! She's the Navi I saw walkin' off ta here! Wha's she doin' here anyway?!' she wondered, and shook the girl by her shoulder.

She was with her back to her, and seemed to be really out of it, as she didn't respond to her touch. Didn't even flinch. 

"'Ey! This ain't the Ritz already!! C'mon!! Up up up!!"

No response.

Sonica frowned and rolled the girl over on her back, and nearly choked on her own words.

Whatever happened to the girl, she wasn't with them at the moment. Her eyes were completely vacant, unable to see anything, and her mouth was opened slightly, letting out air she had breathed in through her nose. She was completely limp, and seemed totally out of it.

"Bloody hell… wha happened ta ya, girl?" Sonica wondered as she pulled the taller Navi over her shoulder, keeping her there with her hands.

As expected, Muramasa didn't respond.

"Yeah, well dun worry! I'm gettin' ya outta here!!"

--

Mike was leaning against a wall with one foot pressed against it, and one arm around his waist, as if trying to stop his stomach from doing athletic stunts all the time, and a hand on his face, thumb under his chin, indexfinger just beside his eye and the other fingers hiding his mouth. His body was trembling ever so slightly, so it was barely noticeable, but it was clear that it was there, even if you couldn't see it. His eyes were shut lightly, but his eyebrows were arched downward to form a rather distressed expression. 

Chaud watched the black-haired boy who was about a year younger than he himself was. He seemed really worried, but he still managed to control his emotions, even if they showed clearly on his face. It was clear that he was trying to keep his cool in the situation, as he simply stood there, keeping his breathing perfectly under control, strangely enough.

He seemed completely lost in thought as the arm around his waist tightened its hold, then loosened up. 

"Sick in the stomach?" Chaud asked plainly from his seat on the couch, as if talking about the weather.

Mike opened his eyes halfway, then closed them again, muttering behind his fingers: "None o' yer busiwess."

Because his hand was in front of his mouth, he practically swallowed half of the words. But he barely seemed to care. Even so though, he _was_ getting a little pale, and it seemed like he was really getting troubles with his stomach. It hurt, really hurt Mike, he could tell, but the boy would not let it show, or even acknowledged it. 

Apparently, his own health meant very little to him.

"You know, you should really keep your health in check," Chaud said simply.

The response was casual as Mike removed his hand temporarily.

"Shut up, I always get nauseous when I worry too much. So quit fussing."

Chaud scoffed and said: "You shouldn't. She's in a hospital, what's the worst that cou--"

Before he had the chance to finish, he had a hand slapped across his mouth, preventing him from saying any more. Chaud looked up in surprise, ocean-blue eyes clashing against Mike's dark brown ones, set on determination, but also filled with fear and worry.

"DON'T say that!! That's the same my father said when my mother was shot and brought to the hospital!! Three guesses what happened after that!!" Mike hissed, before pulling back and slumping down in a chair, opposite of Chaud, though he wasn't looking up at the whitehead.

Instead, he looked down at the ground, leaning with his elbows on his knees and giving a soft sigh, trying to calm himself. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he raised his head, then breathed out through his mouth, feeling the stress from before flutter from his chest along with the breath he had released.

Silence befell them, and Chaud watched as Mike didn't lower his head again, but didn't have it tilted up completely either. The boy seemed to be lost in thought, so Chaud didn't bother talking and closed his eyes as well, hoping silently to get a message from ProtoMan soon. He'd tried to contact the Navi, but had been unable to do so.

"Sorry 'bout that," Mike suddenly said, making Chaud look at him in surprise.

"Wha??" Chaud uttered, too surprised to say something more his usual style.

Mike still had his eyes closed as he spoke.

"I'm just worried about Shine and Muramasa, and I tend to get snappy when I'm worried. So, sorry," he said, moving back slightly to place his head in his hands, but still keeping his eyes closed.

Chaud could say nothing, too shocked at the sudden apology to be able to form any words. A couple of loose locks fell down Mike's forehead, making him blow them out of his face without even looking at them, but surprisingly, they staid on his head for about 20 seconds. 

Strangely, Chaud was suddenly reminded of someone else, but he couldn't quite recall it 1-2-3. He desperately tried to remember, but it was no use; he couldn't figure it out. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't grasp it. 

A sudden flash of pain hit him, but only for a second, and he couldn't stop a groan from escaping from his mouth, as he held his head. Mike opened his eyes at that, and looked at him curiously. 

"You alright? You look a little pale," Mike said, sitting up straight, then added as an afterthought, "They didn't drug you too, did they?"

"Didn't drink anything," Chaud moaned, nursing a slight migraine.

"You sure?" Mike asked, and Chaud suddenly felt his hand on his forehead. "Feels like you got a fever or something. And I suggest you take some aspirin for that headache, might help."

Chaud said nothing, but he did get up and head for the bathroom where they kept their medications no doubt. Mike watched him go from his position and once he was gone, he knocked himself to the head.

'Stop bloody worrying so much!!' he cursed angrily, and dropped on the couch.

His stomach was revolting again, but far more intensely than before, and now it _really_ started to hurt. And he knew what his body automatically did when faced with these pains.

'No way in hell is that happening… I'd like to see them try…'

--

Chaud swallowed the aspirin, along with the water, and tried to calm himself. His nerves were really starting to get the better of him. If his father were there to see him…

He instantly banished the thought, shivering slightly. 

Finally, he headed down the stairs again, hoping he looked a little better than he felt. Not like it was necessary, as Mike was lying on the couch, asleep.

He seemed to have fallen asleep in a rather uncomfortable position, as if he had tried _not_ to fall asleep. But he had, and was simply lying there, unmoving safe for his chest, which moved in time with his steady breathing.

Chaud's lips quirked into a small smile at the sight of the other kid sleeping, but suddenly noticed that he still looked worried and distressed. So not even sleep was a way out for him.

He shook his head, and pulled out his PET. 

"ProtoMan, come in! ProtoMan!!"

No response, go figure.

--

"Alright, you ready?" Razor asked over his shoulder at the red Navi who stood with his back pressed against his own.

The duo was completely surrounded by viruses, and there was no way to get away, unless what they had planned actually worked out. It was risky, as they had never done anything remotely like that before. 

"Yes, what choice do we have?" Proto asked calmly in response.

"Good point there."

Silence as the viruses came in closer and closer.

"Wait…" Razor mumbled, crouching slightly, and Proto followed his example. 

The viruses kept on coming closer, and were now almost 5 feet away from them.

"Wait!" Razor said as he felt Proto's back tense up.

4 feet…

3 feet…

2 feet…

"NOW!!!" Razor screamed loudly.

Proto reached over and grasped Razor's left arm close to his elbow with his own left arm, and Razor held on to him in return. Razor pulled out his right blade and the two sword fighters started running in circles, blades out to the side. 

As all viruses were too close to avoid, they were instantly deleted by the force of the attack. And those who weren't deleted or too far away were sucked toward them by the whirlwind the Navis had caused. Within mere seconds, all viruses had gone, and the Navis stopped running.

Razor shook his head and held both hands to the side of his head.

"Crap! Someone stop the world already!!!" he muttered as the world spun before his eyes.

It didn't really show, as he was standing still, but Proto was rather dizzy too. But even so, he was smiling about the fact that it actually worked. 

He looked around, glad to see that there were no more viruses around. Now they had two more things to take care of. One of them was to find Muramasa, and the other…

They looked up into the sky as a shadow suddenly fell over them.

NightMare.EXE…

--

Mike jarred his eyes open slightly, and shook his head as he sat up with a slight yawn. 

"Glad to see you're awake," a familiar voice said, making him look over briefly, before he sat up straight.

Chaud was sitting in one of the armchairs around, sitting as still as possible. The guy was almost like a statue, but frankly, Mike could've cared less.

"Whatever," Mike muttered simply, not saying anymore as he leaned back a little. "By the way, you should do something about the security around here. I didn't even have difficulties breaking in around here."

"Hmmm…" Chaud simply mumbled, not looking at Mike, having his hair hide his eyes. 

Silence befell them, making them stare at nothing at particular, as long as they wouldn't have to look at each other. So Mike simply stared up at the ceiling, and Chaud looked down at the floor.

But as most humans, the two couldn't stand the silence for too long, and felt like it had to be broken or they'd scream.

"Exactly what do you think of Shine?" Chaud asked calmly, still looking at the ground.

Mike looked at him oddly, then turned back to the ceiling.

"None of your business…" Mike muttered plainly.

Chaud shrugged, but said no more.

But as the silence threatened to return…

"Why'd you even ask?" Mike wanted to know, not looking at the other boy.

Chaud looked up through his bangs, and said: "Because your Navi seems to like that of Shine a lot."

Mike tried to stop himself, but couldn't help it and suddenly started laughing. Chaud looked up in surprise as Mike threw his arms around his stomach, unable to stop laughing.

"Ra-Ra-Razor a-a-and M-M-Muramasa?!!? Y-y-ya gotta be kidding me!!!" Mike managed to get out, trying very hard not to suffocate as he tried to stop laughing. 

The whitehead blinked in confusion, and finally, Mike managed to calm down his laughter, but he was still chuckling. He looked at Chaud, still chuckling.

"Point one; Razor knows that they just _don't_ fit. And point two; the girls are more like sisters to us. Nothing more," he said finally.

Chaud blinked, then asked: "That's all?"

"That's all," Mike said simply, leaning back so he was leaning with both arms on the back of the couch, one leg across the other. "Why'd you ask anyway? You got feelings for someone?"

Chaud visibly flinched, and he retorted angrily: "Hell no!!! What gave you that idea?!?!"

Mike snickered lightly and said: "Maybe that blush on your cheeks," while pointing at Chaud's face.

Chaud instantly clapped his hands over his face, not having noticed that his cheeks had been burning violently. The whitehead cursed wildly, making Mike chuckle again.

"Quite a vocabulary you've got stomped in your head, huh?" he asked, just to tease.

His only response was a glare.

"And besides, it's not like it's any of my business," Mike said, turning serious. "I mean, I joke about a lot of stuff, but if there's one thing I don't do, it's joke about one's sexual preference."

Chaud looked at him in confusion, and asked: "What do you mean with that?"

Mike closed his eyes as he leaned back with his head.

"You know, one's sexual preference. Like… girls liking girls… boys liking boys… or people who like both. Like that. I don't joke around about that. Not like you can choose who you fall in love with. Then again, that's just how I see it."

Chaud didn't have anything to say to that.

Mike also had no more to say, as he stared up at the ceiling. All this talking was keeping his mind off of what was happening, and he was glad Chaud asked him that question. He knew very well that Razor was just looking out for Muramasa, just because Muramasa had a knack for getting into trouble. 

The duo was just looking out for both Muramasa and Shine, as the young whitehead could make rather hectic decisions at some points. That was rare, but it still happened occasionally. 

The main reason of that was her Navi, seeing as she was always tremendously worried about her. Mike understood that perfectly, as he was worried about Razor often enough, but he couldn't understand why she was so overprotective of her Navi. It was almost as if…

"Hey," he said, finally looking at Chaud. "Did you ever notice that Shine worries about Muramasa a lot? And I mean more than usual."

Chaud blinked in confusion, then thought for a moment.

"Sometimes," he answered finally. "But nothing too serious. Only when Muramasa was about to be deleted."

Mike nodded, accepting the answer, yet feeling like he wasn't getting something. He had a feeling he was supposed to know, but he just couldn't grasp it.

What the hell was he missing??

--

Sonica coughed the smoke from her lungs, and shifted the load on her shoulder, before moving on swiftly. She didn't have that much time to lose; the building could probably collapse any second, so the girl had to move fast if she wanted to save them both.

Muramasa, of course, was obvious to the dangers, as she was still in some sort of trance, so she hung limp over Sonica's shoulder. And for the slightly smaller Navi, that was really annoying. The gray-haired Navi might not be fat or anything, but all those muscles on her body made her a lot heavier than she was supposed to be. And she also had her armor on, which also added to the extra weight.

"Ya betta be grateful once this's over!" Sonica mumbled, but as suspected, she got no response.

Sonica shook her head and mumbled cusswords under her breath as she continued to run. But after awhile, she started talking aloud, complaining calmly.

"Ya know, I woul' appreciate it if ya said somethin', goddamnit!!" she mumbled.

The blonde wasn't expecting an answer. But…

"Something, goddamnit," Murmasa repeated in a soft monotonous voice.

Sonica blinked in confusion behind her goggles, and looked over her shoulder at Muramasa. She studied the girl's face… but Muramasa didn't move, or say anything again. She finally shrugged and continued running, not bothering anymore with it.

--

"SIR!!!" Zero suddenly shouted, making X jump in surprise.

"Zero! What the fuck's the big i--" X began, but Zero interrupted.

"Sir!! Someone's found her!!"

X's eyes widened in shock, before he glared and pulled his PET from the recharger.

"Activate!! Zero Omega!!! Transmission!!!" he shouted, plugging in hurriedly.

--

__

Beep… beep… beep… beep… beep…

Shine was obvious to the sounds around her, as an oxygen mask covered her face, allowing her to breathe freely. The white hospitalgown she wore was but a shade darker than her own hair and her skin had returned to her natural slightly pinkish skin. 

Besides the motionless body of the small girl, the room was deserted. Or was it?

A young nurse of about 20, 23 walked into the room, high heels clicking against the floor. She had short brown hair, which came to just below her ears, and deep green eyes, but even though her face smiled, her eyes were completely emotionless. When the door closed behind her, her smile faded, and she frowned at the girl.

She stalked over to the girl and took in the young girl's visage. With a growl she moved her hands across the back of her head, feeling around, before pressing something against the girl's head.

The nurse straightened up again, and smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt. The nametag near her collar read 'Ananda Shiro'.

"There, sweet dreams lil girl!" Ananda said with a faked smile, and she walked out of the room, chuckling darkly.

--

"NightMare."

__

Yes?

"Make sure ya keep them Navis busy until the ritual's been completed. Ya hear me?"

__

Yes, Lady Ananda.

--

"Impressive piece of team-work," NightMare said, as she lowered herself until she hovered a mere 7 feet above the ground, and her arms flew right back to her sides, spinning in place gently. "But do you honestly think I will let you run into the way of Zahler and Master X?"

"What the hell!?!? You're saying that X is behind all of this?!?!" Proto demanded.

"Who's this 'X' character?" Razor asked, confused.

"I do not think you will ever find out. It is time… for your demise!" NightMare screamed, and suddenly, a large digital clock appeared behind her.

They showed the numbers 3 and 30, but it was counting down.

"See this? This is how much time you have to defeat me, if you want your friend to be safe!"

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!!" Razor screamed in disbelief.

"Oh can I?" NightMare asked, and suddenly threw her head back, laughing.

But not with the voice she previously had. Her laugh was demonic, like herself, but it was a clear voice, as if she laughed that cold, heartless laugh all the time.

"Just watch me!!!" she screamed once she stopped.

Her body suddenly lit up, and her eyes glowed evilly in the shadows of her helmet, as data formed a set of demon-horns on her head, and made the gears in her wings light up. And from her body, came the horrifying sound of a million tortured souls.

--

"_Grrrrrrooooooooooooohhoooooooooooooohhhhhhooohohohohoooooohhhh!!!!_"

-- 

****

Z: Well, that's that!

D. Zero: Huh? What're you talking about??

Z: I'm dropping this story--

Everyone: YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!!

Z: :( [clocks everyone with a frying pan]

Everyone: @_@

Z: Let me finish!! Look, I'm dropping this story, and picking up another. Or actually… starting another.

D. X: Ouch… and which one would that be?

Z: ……The one with the whore in it.

D. Zero: [growls] Huh?! [stops growling] Say what?!?!

Z: ^_^ You heard me bro!! LET'S GO FRY SOME MAVERICKS!!! [runs off]

D. Zero: 'EY WHOA!!! WAIT UP!!! SIIIIIIIIIIIS!!!! [runs after Zeal]

D. X: [blinks then runs after them]

Chibi-chan: …Well, might as well leave then, huh?

Miri-chan: Might as well.

[everyone teleports out]


	21. Chapter VII Part 3: Deletion

****

Z: Guess I couldn't drop this for too long.

D. Zero: Apparently.

Z: Bro, shut up.

D. Zero: As long as you don't--

Z: Don't plan to. Dun worry, I'm working on it.

------------------------------------

TJ and Rikumon: I've had that story in my head for so long, I just had to write that down (hadn't started it before). Once again, thanks for the style, but hey, Sol Sabre's left his own Style behind, and if you could mix your styles with his, I'm sure the results would be awesome.

Song: I know, I somehow always manage to change the plot in such angle that it's getting hard for the readers to follow. And this story's plot has barely started! (PS: Sounds fun! ^_^)

RCM: I'm sure of it! By the way, once I get that far, you should read book 5 of 'Mega Man Zeal'. Three guesses who finally appears on the scene! -_^

Pyrogirll23: Ah, don't worry. It won't take too long now for you to appear as well.

Trinity: …Don't…say…that…name…again… (mumbles something about crackwhores)

Sol Sabre: Yeah, I know. Personally, I _hope_ the next chapters are getting better when the plot progresses. (PS: ^_^) 

Rumorgirl411: Hey! Calm down already!

Alitia Lee: [jerks thumb upward] Read my response to Sol Sabre's review.

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter VII Part 3: Deletion

"Sis?? Where're we going??"

"I just found the bestest place to play!! Come on! This way!!"

"Siiiiiiiiiiihiiiiiiiiis!! I don't like this! You always get us in trouble!!"

"Oh come ON!! I do NOT!!!"

"Yes you do! Like when you almost torched dad's hair!"

"That was an accident!!!"

"What about when you mom got electrocuted by that toaster you dropped in the sink?!"

"Accidents happen!!"

"And when you nearly drowned in the lake because you---"

"OKAY!! SO I ATTRACT TROUBLE!!! BIG DEAL!!!"

--

The elder of the twins was pulling along the younger of the two, while her other hand held a brightly colored ball under her arm. Disgusting colors really. At least, that's what the elder thought, as the younger loved it! 

Finally, the two kids arrived at a large field laying just near a large wall, but it was still too far away to serve as a real threat.

"And voila!" the elder exclaimed, pointing ecstatically. "Told you I found a good place!"

"Sis… maybe we shouldn't be here… mom said we shouldn't…" the younger started, but never had the chance to finish.

"Blah, blah, blah! Come on! I feel like playing today, and I dun wanna get mad at anything today!"

"………Okay. But you have to promise we'll be home before sunset," the younger insisted.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!"

The elder released the younger, walked a few feet away, put the ball down, and kicked it in the younger's direction. 

--

Sonica stopped dead when she heard a pained moan from over her shoulder. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed that the gray-haired girl was apparently starting to wake up. After the blonde had made sure she was out of the danger-zone, she set the other girl on the ground, and just stared at her as she seemed to come to her senses.

For a moment, her eyes squeezed shut, before two magenta colored orbs finally showed themselves again.

"What… the hell is going on around here?" she mumbled sitting up and holding her aching head. "Why does my head hurt so much?!"

"I dunno. Ye tell me," Sonica said, finally opening her mouth.

The girl's face instantly snapped in her direction. Confusion shone in her eyes again, but then came recognition, and finally anger.

"You again?! What do you want?!?!"

Sonica frowned and pulled her goggles from her head.

"I jus' saved yer bloody life and this's the thanks I get!?" she demanded.

"I fucking don't need ANYONE'S help!!!" the girl suddenly screamed and suckerpunched Sonica straight in her face. 

"OW!!!" Sonica cried out as she was knocked away, crashing into the ground.

She sat up, rubbing her jaw where the punch had hit her.

'Damn! Tha'll leave a mark!' she thought bitterly, as she looked up at the girl again.

She was standing now, but don't ask how. It was clear that her body was seemingly becoming too heavy for her legs to carry her, as her legs were buckled and even her arms were hanging limply by her side. Her breathing was erratic and her eyes flashed with whole seas of emotions, swirling around and around to form a thick magenta mist. 

There was something _really_ wrong with this girl.

"I… don't… need… any… one's… HELP!!!" she suddenly screamed, and lunged out with a yell of anger.

--

Razor screamed as he was roughly slammed through yet another wall, which was about his fifth in a row, before he was finally released from the murderous claw. He slammed against the ground, and lay there for a moment, trying to regain his breath. With a cry of surprise, he rolled aside to avoid the spiked bottom of the wall that had been planning to crash down in his face.

Proto struggled to move, but the rings spiraling up and down him would not let him go. And they were also slowly draining him of his energy, weakening him with every second that passed. But the more he struggled, the more the rings started to lose their powers, so he wouldn't stop struggling against the hold they had on him. Finally, he broke free, and jumped away from one of the walls that had planned to pin him down.

And NightMare was practically laughing her head off. Apparently, she had full control over everything that went on around the city. The fires had enclosed around them, allowing no escape, and nothing seemed capable of extinguishing the flames. She either fired large blasts from her hands, or used the walls that had served to protect her to ram either Razor or Proto, hard. 

It seemed almost impossible to defeat her. And the time kept on ticking away. 

Razor growled and looked up at NightMare. Suddenly, his eyes flashed around the entire situation once or twice, and a vicious smirk spread across his face. 

When one of the walls once again flew toward him, Razor took two paces backward, allowing the wall to crash into the ground, before lunging forward and burying his fingers in it. As the wall came up again, he was pulled along with it. When reaching the right height, Razor pulled out one of his swords and pushed off from the wall.

A scream tore from NightMare's throat when Razor's sword was embedded straight in her stomach. 

Proto stared in awe as Razor dropped back down, and noticed that NightMare's claws were now trying to stop the bleeding from her stomach. But it was no use though.

"You!!!" NightMare hissed in absolute anger, glaring daggers at Razor.

Razor simply smirked and said: "Your own fault. Now where's Muramasa!?!?!"

NightMare said nothing, and turned her head to look over her shoulder at the large clock behind her.

30 seconds left.

"Not like it will matter… she will perish along with the rest of you filthy Navis. Now d--AAAAAAAAH!!!!" 

NightMare screamed as something was suddenly flung right through her chest. Thick purple cyberblood flowed freely from the wound, and she choked violently on the liquid as her eyes had widened considerably. She managed to stare down at her chest, and the fist protruding from it nearly made her vomit, if Navis could've.

"BASS?!?!?!?" Razor and Proto screamed at the same time, as the black and gold armored Navi pulled his arm back, causing NightMare to fall down.

But before she could even hit the ground, she dissolved into six shining red letters.

--

**__**

DELETE

--

"What the fuck are you doing here?!?!?" Razor demanded, not realizing the clock was now getting seriously close, with only 5 more seconds to go.

"…I'll chat later, I have more important matters at hand. If you'll excuse me…"

And with a whooshing motion, Bass had vanished from the area, leaving Razor and Proto behind, seriously confused.

--

And the clock ticked on…

--

Muramasa raised her Buster once more, ignoring the stinging pains running all over her body and focussing only on the fight at hand. Sonica had somehow managed to retrieve her sword, and had used it greatly to practically slice her whole armor to pieces. Blood was streaming across her entire body, but it was simply ignored, while Sonica was in much better condition.

No thoughts would enter her mind… none at all…

--

__

10…

--

With a furious whine, her Buster charged up and she fired a large pelt of plasma at the agile Navi. Sonica rushed forward and lashed out with her sword, straight across Muramasa's chest, who suppressed the urge to scream as the hit tore across her Navi-Symbol.

--

__

9…

--

Muramasa swung her arm with her Buster out and hit Sonica against the side of her face, sending her flying. But Sonica somehow managed to grab Muramasa's tail, and slammed the girl into the ground with a loud thud. Yet Muramasa wouldn't utter a sound. 

--

__

8…

--

A pained scream suddenly tore from Sonica's throat as something was stabbed right through her right shoulder. She staggered away, and whirled around in shock.

--

__

7…

--

The corn-blonde Navi twirled his saber around between his fingers, then grasped it tightly in his hand once again. And without as much as a warning, he shot forward, the hilt of his saber grasped in both hands and his face contorted in absolute anger.

--

__

6…

--

Sonica screamed as he impaled her onto the deep purple blade, and just managed to summon up her last amount of strength, to dissolve and form the words 'LOG OUT'. Calmly, he tossed his saber up in the air, which whirled around twice, turned off, and landed in the sheath on his back. 

--

__

5…

--

He calmly stalked toward the severely injured Muramasa, who had managed to turn over and stare at what he just accomplished. She crawled backward as he stalked toward her.

--

__

4…

--

"Get away from me!!" she screamed, leaping to her feet and stumbling back.

"……………"

"GO AWAY!!!" she screamed again, and fired her Buster at him.

But he simply batted the blast aside.

--

__

3…

--

Before she could even fire again, he grasped her wrist and yanked her forward. She crashed straight into him, but it happened too fast for her to realize what was going on, before she was suddenly tossed over his shoulder.

--

__

2…

--

"LET GO OF ME!!!" she screamed once it dawned to her what had happened and she began to struggle. "PUT ME DOWN!!!"

"…………No. Sir X wants to see you."

It didn't seem to fully dawn to her for a moment, but then she started to struggle harder, punching and kicking him.

--

__

1…

--

"I DON'T CARE!!! JUST GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALO---"

--

__

0…

--

"UGH!!!!"

Within moments, she had completely stopped struggling, and hung limply over his shoulder. 

A smirk came over his face, and he was about to jack out, when a voice sounded from behind him.

"…Don't go anywhere."

Slowly, he turned around, and was staring straight into the barrel of a Buster cannon.

--

The entire place seemed to be literally falling apart now that NightMare wasn't around anymore to keep the buildings standing, as she must've done before, because right after being deleted, all buildings began to blow up. Either that, or they were programmed to blow up if NightMare was beaten.

Nevertheless, both Razor and Proto were doing their best to find Muramasa, or Bass. Either was okay. Because most likely, Bass was looking for Muramasa (why else would he be there anyway?) and if they managed to find Bass, there was a small chance they'd find Muramasa too.

And besides, they certainly did _not_ like to be indebted with that guy.

"Why'd that guy even save our sorry asses, anyway?" Razor demanded as he dodged a burning beam that would've fallen on his head if he hadn't.

"Not a clue, but we've got more important things to take care of!" Proto shouted over the roaring flames.

"Right!"

--

Zero gave a startled yelp as he was kicked away, straight into a building behind him. But he was up again within mere seconds, with nothing but a few scrapes on his armor. There was no way he was going to lose to this low-class Navi, whether he was an independent Navi or not.

The guy had already managed to get Muramasa somewhere away from them, so they could battle all-out, without deleting her in the process. He was secretly glad for that, because X would have his data on a silver platter if he failed in his mission. But still, the mission wasn't over yet.

Coolly, Zero pulled his saber from his sheath and activated it swiftly. 

"Enough play," he said coldly, grasping the hilt tightly with both hands.

Bass narrowed his eyes dangerously, and gently set both feet onto the ground. Raising his right arm, it glowed brightly, before shifting into a large sword.

"…Suit yourself."

And with a scream, they charged.

Swords clashed wildly as both Navis lunged out at the other, either blocking or trying to get through the other's defenses. But neither of them was about to give up, and there was no way they would let the other get the best of them. Sparks flew off in every direction, yet it did nothing to the battling Navis.

Bass suddenly surprised Zero by lashing out at his feet, making Zero jump up in surprise. Zero gave a growl as he neared the peak of his jump.

"Swallow this one!!!" he screamed, and suddenly curled up into a ball, saber clutched in both hands as he started flipping forward.

Bass managed to jump back as Zero nearly sliced him clean in half with his saber. Zero easily managed to land in a crouch on the ground, one hand on the ground and the other still grasping his saber. With a single thrust of his legs, Zero was shot forward, and he lashed out at Bass, but he managed to block easily. Once again, their blades clashed and sparks were sent flying into every direction. 

But even so, it was clear that Zero was out of his league.

--

The black and red armored Navi gave a pained cry as he was thrown right through a wall. A colorful string of curses escaped his mouth as he sat up and felt around for his saber. It had flown from his hands some time ago, and now, there was no way to relocate it. 

"CrapnabbitsonofafracshiiiCRUD!!!" he howled in anger.

He was so pissed off that he didn't even finish one curse to start another. He really loved that saber, and he was going to get really hostile if he couldn't find the damned thing. 

It only took him a few seconds to realize that something was off. Bass hadn't come after him yet, and there was a strange, but familiar rumbling coming from the walls.

'No… impossible… he couldn't have…'

But before he could even finish the thought, the walls were smashed easily by two other walls, making him jump away quickly. The crash from the walls was enough to send him sprawling to the ground. 

"Ow…" he mumbled as he got up, wiping the blood from his face, which was now covered with scrapes. "He did. Ananda is really going to be pissed."

"Zero! What the fuck happened?!" X's voice suddenly rang out.

"NightMare was deleted by Bass, sir, and apparently, I'm his next target," Zero said calmly, yet he was struggling to contain his anger.

"Oh I don't think so! Zero!! Style-Change!!!"

"Understood."

Data started to circle around Zero as he stood up, eyes closed, before they shot open. Every single part of his eyes was now a piercing red hue, as the data began to attach itself to his armor, or replace parts of his usual armor.

--

A loud explosion sounded from the building, but Bass simply watched it with a bored expression. As Zero landed on both his feet before him, the black and gold Navi didn't look the least bit surprised at Zero's new armor.

His entire armor was a pitch black, the jumpsuit a dark gray, and the blood red stripes that had been evident over his armor were now extremely difficult to see. Twin spines ran across the sides of the helmet, bending upwards at the end of the helmet, and a blue visor much like Proto's covered his eyes, only the visor had a jagged bottom. There were wing-like fins sprouting from around his shoulder blades and it was clear that they were also used as thrusters. There were white dragon-head designs across each shoulder with deep black eyes. The far arm gauntlets had shifted to Asian style dragon-head bracers with twin spines poking up to just up to shoulder height. The footgear had grown a little, and had shifted into four talons, three in the front and one in the back, which could clearly flex to clench onto things.

From behind his visor, Zero's eyes glowed a furious blood red hue, and the two 'lights' narrowed to show he was pissed off. Yet Bass still looked bored out of his mind. 

"You just made a big mistake," Zero hissed coldly.

Bass quirked an eyebrow and asked: "Oh really?"

Zero frowned in anger, though it was barely visible behind his visor. His fists clenched in anger, and within seconds, his right hand had shifted into a dragon's head, and was aimed at the other Navi. But even before the burst of plasma had been released, Bass had already vanished. 

Zero instantly whirled around and fired again, and this time--

"GACK!!!"

Bass cried out in surprise as the blast hit him head-on, sending him back a few feet. Not like it really mattered. The hit barely hurt, he'd just been really surprised. He looked toward the other Navi, who seemed quite pleased that he had managed to catch him off guard.

But the independent Navi was most definitely not impressed.

--

Zero blinked as a warning message scrolled across his visor. 

--

**__**

Warning!

Massive energy source located!

- Total Energy Size: 10 TB

****

- Energy Size Per Release: 2 MB

****

- Recommended action: Avoid

--

'Oh SHIT!!!' was the only thing that shot through his mind as he immediately jumped aside to avoid the plasma pellets shot straight at him.

Somehow, Zero managed to avoid every shot sent his way, but it did give him a lot of trouble. His feet managed to give him an extra boost, sending him both higher and further away than he usually would've jumped.

--

"Tenkuuha. Slot in."

--

Instantly, Zero's saber shot out from the wreckage and into his outstretched hand. But instead of the usual purple hue it always had, the blade was now a pitch-black color. 

Bass frowned and fired more bursts of plasma. But this time, Zero lashed out wildly with his saber--and stopped all of the plasma blasts.

__

Now Bass was impressed. And he was also beginning to slightly panic. 

Zero grinned evilly, exposing a set of fangs that hadn't been clear before. With a furious yell, he lunged at the Navi, saber arching downward in a vicious swipe.

--

"Oh shit!!!" Proto shouted in anger.

Razor ran over to beside Proto, and stared up toward the battlefield, confused. Bass was seriously being beaten down by some sort of sword-wielding Navi, and apparently, the guy was a familiar face to ProtoMan.

"Who is that?" Razor asked the red Navi.

"Zero Omega, X's Navi."

"And who the fuck is 'X' anyway?!"

Proto hung his head in exasperation, and said: "Let's just save that independent Navi's ass, alright?"

Razor was silent for a while, then nodded mutely.

--

Zero vanished within the darkness of the shadows somewhere in front of Bass, and jumped out of the shadows behind him. Bass wasn't fast enough to avoid the lash across his back, making blood pour from the wound at rapid speeds. Zero chuckled coldly, but his laughter had a strange maniacal glint to it. He lashed out again, this time straight across Bass' scar, making the other Navi scream in absolute pain.

With a strong thrust of the fins on his back, Zero crashed into Bass with his shoulder, sending the other Navi down to the ground with a cry, before he lost consciousness. Zero stalked over Bass, and glared daggers at him, while a bloodthirsty grin was spread across his face. He raised his saber with both hands, aimed straight at Bass.

And without a second thought, he lunged.

"That's enough, Zero," X's voice rang out, making Zero freeze up instantly, his saber less than an inch from the other Navi's throat.

"But sir!" Zero protested.

"No buts, Zero. Send both of them to me. _Now_!"

Zero winced visibly, and said: "Yes sir."

But before he could even move again, a kick to his side sent him flying into a wall. With a loud crash, his forehead slammed against the wall, causing his crystal to shatter. A pained scream tore from his throat as he grasped his head, right before he dissolved into the words 'LOG OUT'.

--

"What was all that about??" Razor asked, seriously confused.

Proto shrugged his shoulders and bent down beside Bass, who seemed to be really out of it. Razor walked over as well, bending down on Bass' other side. He looked over the guy's body for a while, then placed his fingers on his throat. After moving them a few times, he finally nodded.

"Yep, he's still alive," he concluded calmly.

Proto shook his head and said: "Then that's his fourth time at escaping deletion."

Razor looked up at him and said: "Well, for someone who doesn't rely on an Operator, I think that's pretty good. Especially if you realize he had no one to look out for, or someone who looked out after him."

Proto looked absolutely mortified as he removed his visor and looked at Razor.

"Are you saying you _pity_ him?!" he demanded.

Razor shook his head and said: "No. I just think I've grown to understand this guy a little better. And when the hell did you get magenta colored eyes?!"

Proto, realizing what he'd done, quickly lowered his visor, mumbling: "I dunno what you're talking about."

But one look at Razor's face was enough to tell him he wasn't going to get away until he answered the question.

Luckily, he wasn't forced to answer yet, as Bass picked that moment to return to consciousness. Razor turned to the black Navi, before pulling the guy up by his arm.

"You with us now?" he asked once Bass seemed to be fully awake.

Proto had already gotten up, not really wanting to be involved with this.

Bass groggily shook his head, before he managed to focus on anything at all. 

As he held a hand to his head, he mumbled: "Yeah… I'll be fine."

"Good," Razor said with a slap on the guy's shoulder. "One less thing to worry about."

Bass merely gave him a weary glance, and didn't respond in any other way. 

"By the way, did you see Muramasa anywhere?" Razor suddenly asked, acting as though Bass was a close friend of his instead of someone he'd battled to the death three months back.

Bass looked at him a little confused, then nodded and pointed at where he had left Muramasa. And where she still lay, thank god.

Razor and Proto rushed toward her, and Bass was about to leave, when Razor stopped and turned to him.

Silence reigned as the two Navis stared each other down, before Razor saluted him and said calmly: "Thanks, man."

And he ran after Proto toward Muramasa, leaving a very surprised Bass behind.

'Did that guy just… _thank_ me?! No way…'

Bass then shook his head and plugged out of the city.

--

"Hey! Muramasa, wake up already!!"

"Nngh, leamme 'lone… go 'way…"

"Oh, I don't think so!!"

With a surprised cry of pain, Muramasa was roughly jolted back to consciousness, and she was quite aware of her stinging cheek. An angry growl rolled from her mouth as she glared at Razor, who'd been responsible for that painful detail.

"Shimatta! What was that for?!!? That smarts!" she demanded in anger.

"To wake you up, because we gotta get out of here!! Come on!!!" Razor said, pulling her to her feet and pulling her along before she could even object.

"GACK!!! Hora! Can somebody explain to me what's going on around here?!"

"Maybe when we get out of this here hellhole, okay?!" Proto asked right back as he zoomed past.

--

With an angry stride, the young man stalked into the room and flipped switches on several machines, before pressing the communication button. Mere seconds after he did, two faces appeared on a large hovering monitor in front of him. 

One was the face of a man of around 20, with long, deep blue hair that hung over his left eye completely, leaving only one out of two dark gray eyes visible. His face showed clearly that he was most likely born in Greece, and by his clothing, you'd say the same. Typical Greek designs adorned his white shirt and black vest. Around his neck, hung a necklace with the symbol of Zeus on it, and a large black stripe had been painted on his left forearm.

The other face was that of a Navi and mostly hidden in the shadows of his blue and white helmet. From the back of his helmet, came a mass of waist-length blood-red hair, and the rest of his white and blue armor was scarred at several places, including one nasty scar over his chest.

"You summoned for us, Lord X?" the blue-haired man asked with a calm and composed voice, yet it was void of any emotion.

"Is everything ready? We have but a week left until the Grand-Prix starts, and I can't allow anything else to go wrong," X hissed, anger clear in his voice.

"Yes, My Lord," the man said calmly, giving a small bow. "We are prepared for anything. Have no fear, we will not fail like NightMare has done."

X smirked coldly.

"Very well. Go train some more though. We can't take any chances."

"Understood, My Lord," the man said in synch with his Navi.

The duo saluted X, and X returned the gesture.

"Delete," the duo said in synch, before the screen was shut off.

The sound of a hologram turning on sounded from behind him, and he turned around to face the hologram of his Navi, which was much taller than he himself was.

"Zero, even though you bungled up," he hissed, making Zero flinch visibly, "I can forgive you this time. The girls' time will come, and as for Bass… he shouldn't be so hard to locate again."

Zero nodded simply, but didn't move beside that.

"Very well said, X…" a cold voice said, making both Operator and Navi whirl around in shock. "Very well indeed… there might be hope for you yet…"

X said nothing, nor did Zero, as they both just went through their knees and bowed until theirs foreheads were on the floor.

--

__

Yes… there might just be hope for you yet.

-- 

****

Z: Well, that's that.

D. Zero: Hey, isn't this where the plot begins to kick in?

D. X: Most likely.

Z: That's right. It's about time too. Anyway, there're two new characters in this chapter, as well as an old (un)familiarity.

D. Zero: Wha?? Oh yeah. Mr. Shadow-guy, huh?

Z: Damn straight.

Miri-chan: Siiiiiiiiiiiiiis!!

Z: I KNOW I KNOW!! CHILL OUT!! Geez, come on, guys! Let's go!!

D. X: WHOOOHOOOO!! Let's go kill some Mavericks!!!

Night. Z: Humph, 's though't'll help ya any.

Z: GAH!!! How the hell did you get here!?!?!

Night. Z: Hehehe. Woul'n't ye like ta know, eh?

Z: You!!! [twitches]

Chibi-chan: Hey! Chill out!! And Nightmare! You keep quiet or you're dead!!!!

Night. Z: Che. Ah, fine, fine. Bah, damn Maverick scum.

Chibi-chan: I HEARD THAT ONE!!!

Z: And they say I've got a temper. Anyway, for those who don't get it, I'm doing one chapter OtN, one chapter MMZ, and so on and so on. Ciao! [teleports out]


	22. Chapter VIII Part 1: CROSS FUSION!

****

D. Zero: So, we're starting the plot now?

Z: I'm trying, but that's going to be hard.

__

PS

Z: Which of you guys did I bite?? Those who got bitten know, but I don't, though I got my suspicions.

------------------------------------

TJ and Rikumon: (D. Zero: "OH GOD MY EYE!!!" D. X: "Oh HELL!!!!" E-kun: "Holy crap!!!") -_-;;; [shakes head and clucks tongue] Boys…

Pyrogirll23: Meh, he's okay. But I still prefer the badass Zero from Mega Man X over the silent Zero from Mega Man Zero. (PS: Thanks for the Style! ^_^)

Song: Maybe so, but I'm still working on 'Mega Man Zeal', okay? And yes, this story's plot still has to start! :) [makes an X-shaped cross with arms] Guess what's also going to come in this fic! (PS: I dun mind. I just don't enjoy it when people mention a certain fucking goddamn crackwhore. [growls])

Sol Sabre: (D. Zero: "Oh great, just what we need. Two nutcases trying to outbest each other." CLANK!! "OW!!! NOW WHAT'D I DO?!?!?") [stands glaring with a frying pan in hand] You opened your mouth bro, end of story. About that info, I'll send you something as soon as I can think of something. I'm still trying to figure out how to advance the plot.

Enigma: (Everyone: "OO!!" Z: "HOLY SHIT!!!" Night. Z: "Fer once, ye 'n' me agree." Z: "How many Cups of Wishes do you have?" Night. Z: "Ah hell! Do Ah gotta waste all ma Cups'a Wishes ta them bloody--- [sees Zeal preparing to blast her head to smithereens] [really squeaky voice] Plenty! [pours Cups of Wishes empty over dead reviewers]" Z: "^_^ Sorry about that you guys. [thinks for a moment] Can I have some of that?" Enigma: "[hands over C4]" Z: "Thank you!") 

RCM: I'm not even going to ask. And thanks. (D. Zero: "Yo RCM! How the hell did you get that?!" CLANK!! "OW!!! _NOW_ WHAT?!!?") Bro, just… shut up.

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter VIII Part 1: CROSS FUSION!!!

"X's behind Zahler??"

"Most likely."

"Whoa… you were right, that guy _is _trouble."

"Yeah, but that doesn't suit as a name, does it?"

"No, I guess not."

--

Shine slightly fingered her bangs, before moving them aside. She'd just woken up from narcosis, and Chaud and Mike had been there with her. Chaud had managed to fix her PET, and for that, she was very grateful. Even so, Muramasa still disliked being in her PET for so long. But she managed to keep quiet long enough. 

"So, this 'X' is a real troublemaker?" Mike asked, sitting backward in a chair and leaning on his folded arms.

"Quite," Chaud said, leaning against the wall (like that was new). "He's been involved in petty-thievery before, but this is serious."

"I still wonder what was wrong with that Navi of his," Razor finally spoke up. "I mean, I knocked him against a wall and he starts screaming like his head's on fire."

"Like with firehead, you mean?" Muramasa asked with a smirk, making Razor chuckle.

"Nah, FireMan never felt any of that."

Shine smiled brightly at the small talk between the Navis, and said: "Well, at least it's over and done with now."

"Quite," Mike said with a smirk. "But now what do we do? Not like there's anything else to do."

Chaud looked at him as if he were crazy, and asked: "You sure of that?"

Shine looked at him curiously, and asked: "How so? What's there to do?"

"The N1 Grand-Prix is coming up," Chaud said plainly, and Mike nearly toppled over. 

"What?! Already?!!? Damn!!" he said, looking slightly upset.

Shine looked at him, and blinked her purple colored eyes, before asking: "How so? You planning to enter?"

Mike smirked broadly and said: "Hell yeah! Of course I am! No way in hell am I backing out of a possible fight!!"

Chaud looked a little surprised, but Shine was smiling brightly. Apparently, she had figured he'd answer that, and she'd most likely been expecting it. Muramasa seemed to have been expecting that as well, as she shook her head with her eyes closed, meaning she was getting bored.

"Well, I suggest you get training well if you want to survive."

Mike smirked and looked at Chaud, who looked as cool as ever.

"I'd say the same to you, because you're definitely going to lose," he said calmly, making the brunette shrug in indifference.

"Sticks and stones, Blaze, sticks and stones," Mike said calmly.

Chaud frowned angrily, but left the room without another word. Shine watched him go for a second, and then turned to Mike, who seemed to be watching her for a moment, before he smiled at her. The whitehead smiled right back at him as the brunette stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes. 

"Shine, you gave us quite a scare, so, please, don't do something like that again, alright?" Mike asked calmly.

The young girl gently shrugged her shoulders, which was her way of saying: "I'll try."

Silence fell over them for a while, until…

"Hey, after that fight with Bass huh?" Mike suddenly asked.

Shine blinked, but nodded, telling him wordlessly to continue.

"Well, I'd been meaning to give you something for awhile, but through that mess with Bass, I completely forgot, so it's a little late, but…" he said, and reached into his pocket for a moment.

He pretty soon pulled out a chip, and looked at it for a moment, before handing it over to Shine, after having walked to stand beside her. Shine looked adorably confused, and it took her a few seconds before she managed to accept the chip from Mike's outstretched hand. The picture on the chip was a deep reddish hue, and was darker in the center of it. And in the very center, was the picture of a razor-sharp katana of a dark gray, polished silver color, with a deep purple aura shrouding it.

"Happy birthday," Mike said with a simple shrug of his shoulders, hands in his pockets.

Shine looked up from the chip to Mike, and without a warning, threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, catching the poor bloke by surprise.

"Uh…" Mike stammered, a slight blush forming on his cheeks. "A simple 'thank you' would've been fine you know?"

--

"Area Steal!! Slot in!!"

--

Muramasa vanished from the spot she'd previously been standing, and reappeared right behind the training-Navi. With a simple lash of the sword on her arm, the Navi was instantly sent back to the PET it had come from.

--

"Long Sword!! Slot in!!"

--

Proto easily cleaved three training-Navis in half with a sideways cut, once again sending more and more Navis back to their PETs. 

Muramasa pulled out her Buster-cannon and started firing at them with charged shots after having figured out their pattern. Proto raised his arm, replacing the Long Sword with his Buster-sword, before starting to take out the Navis again. Muramasa easily elbowed one of the Navis in his 'face', before whirling around and hitting him away with her tail, which easily sent him flying. Proto stabbed one of the Navis in his stomach, and with one fluid move, brought his arm upward.

It didn't take them long to have all the Navis deleted.

--

"So, you think you're ready for the next level?" Chaud asked the other whitehead.

Shine simply nodded, completely focussed on NetBattling now. She'd been allowed to leave the hospital a few hours after she had woken up, and now she was completely ready to give it all she had. 

Without further ado, Chaud raised the level.

--

Almost unnoticeably, a pair of feet, clad in nothing but a pair of white socks, softly scuffled through the corridor, and within seconds, a hand had grasped the telephone, which was soon held against an ear, after the long hairs had been pushed aside. With utter precision, a single finger typed in the destined number, and not long after, the other line was picked up.

"Yes?"

"Yeah, it's me. Everything's going perfect here."

"Very good. Ananda's gone into hysterics about NightMare for a while, but that's over and done with."

"What of NightMare? Is she alright?"

"She will be fully operational within a few more hours. What of the girls?"

"Nothing. If one isn't around, it's the other, so I can't get them alone a single time."

"Keep trying! We can_NOT_ fail!! We must _NOT_ fail!! Do you understand?!"

"Yes, sir! I understand! I'm doing the best I can!"

"Good. Now go! Every second wasted can be one second too much!"

"Understood. Delete."

"Delete."

Calmly, the blue haired man placed the telephone back on the hook and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Red, location, now," he said, running a hand through his hair.

Silence, with only the bleeping of the PET breaking it.

"They're heading for the Official Center," a calm, composed voice said from the PET.

"Alright, then that's where we're heading."

"Understood."

--

Lan studied the requests on the request board for a few moments, contemplating on which one to pick. There weren't that many good ones, but he really needed a break from the constant training he'd been doing for the N1. 

"Lan, what are we looking for?" Mega asked, finally breaking the silence around them.

"Something to keep me occupied for awhile, but---" before Lan could even finish though…

"Lan!! Hey Lan!!!" a familiar voice shouted, making the brunette whirl around in surprise.

A very familiar whitehead walked toward him, a bright smile gracing her face as she walked, one hand grasping her backpack. Shine was seemingly in a pretty good mood, which wasn't very strange for her. Her PET had been put in a PET-case on her belt, as if something had happened to it earlier on somewhere.

"Oh, hey Shine, what are you doing here?" Lan asked once she stopped in front of him.

Shine moved her bangs aside for a moment, then said: "I needed a break from training for awhile. So, what are you doing?"

"Same," Lan said with a shrug. "You entering in the Grand Prix as well?"

"Yeah, because I have a score to settle with somebody I'd rather not mention," Shine said calmly, but her smile was now gone. "Chances are he'll show up as well. And before you even ask, sorry Lan, I can't tell you whom I'm talking about. You _have_ to be an Official before I'll tell you."

Lan pouted slightly, then dropped it and said: "I wasn't going to ask anyhow."

"_Suuuuure_ you weren't," Shine drawled with a smile.

Lan frowned, but he was also beginning to smile slightly. 

A sudden bang made the teens jump in surprise and they whirled around to the source of the sound. A lot of people seemed to have been startled from the sudden sound, as they weren't the only ones turning toward the sound. The source of the sound had been the slamming of a door, and a seemingly middle-aged man walked through the room, an angry frown on his face, making him seem older than he probably was. His hair was dark black with a few white streaks running through it, and the chilling blue eyes were all it took for Shine to realize who that guy was.

'Kami-sama… _that_ is Chaud's father?!' she thought, almost unable to believe it.

Even though it was as clear as water, there were still the major differences between Chaud and this man. For one, this man's eyes were completely emotionless, while Chaud still had emotions flashing through his eyes every now and then. And this guy seemed like he just… could care less about what could eventually happen to his son.

"Lan, who is that?" Shine asked quietly, so as not to draw attention to herself.

Lan was shaking lightly, and his face was contorted in a deep frown.

"That's Chaud's dad," Lan finally said, affirming Shine's suspicions. "He's the president of IPC inc., and trust me, he's not very nice, not even to Chaud."

"Well, I could tell that by my--chotto matte! _President_?!?!" Shine asked, shocked out of her wits at that.

Lan simply nodded, and Shine whistled. She was definitely impressed, but nevertheless, she knew there wasn't really anything to be impressed about.

Practically everyone watched the man leave the Center, leaving a deadly silence behind. The silence stretched on and on, seemingly endless, until finally, Shine managed to speak up.

"Hora! Why is it so quiet around here?!"

--

"We had an agreement, and I'm planning to keep it, Blaze," the dark figure on the videophone said.

Mr. Blaze, was sitting in the back of his limo, making his way back to the hotel, and had contacted his 'supplier'. Things weren't looking too good, and they both knew it. 

"Look, just give me a few more weeks! I can get everything within that time!" Blaze tried to negotiate with the other man.

"I do not _have_ a few more weeks! The N1 Grand-Prix is on its way and we cannot allow any more interruptions, from _anyone_, and that includes you as well."

Blaze was silent as the other man lit a cigarette, which barely lit up his face. He knew he had to act quickly or he would be toast.

…Of course!

"Have you ever heard of something called the 'Synchro-Chip'?"

The man, who had been in the middle of a long drag, tensed slightly, then relaxed and exhaled calmly.

"All right, Blaze. You have my attention. Go on. What _is_ this 'Synchro-Chip'?"

Blaze mentally sighed with relief.

"It is a chip that enables…"

--

"'Cross Fusion'??" Shine asked, staring at the blue chips with a small green gem and RockMan's Navi-Symbol. "What does that mean?"

"Basically, it enables Operator and Navi to fuse," Lan explained with a smile, sitting on one of the tables while swinging his legs back and forth. "That way, Navis can come to the real world as well."

"Kala…" Shine mouthed, gingerly picking up one of the chips and studying it from all sides.

"But so far, it only works in the Dimensional Areas," Lan said, still smiling.

"The what??"

Lan got off of the table, and walked to Shine. He snatched the chip from her hand and began pulling her along. Shine wasn't one to complain, and she just followed him. Not like she had any choice though.

The brunette pulled her toward one of the rooms in the lab, filled with all kinds of equipment, including a glass chamber of some sort. Shine whistled in awe as Lan guided her down a set of stairs and toward the chamber.

"What is all this?" Shine asked.

"In here," Lan said, tapping softly on the glass walls of the small chamber, "they assemble a Dimensional Area. This is more of a testing area."

Shine blinked and looked at Lan in confusion.

"Nani? Does that mean it doesn't work yet?" she asked.

Lan shrugged his shoulders a little, and said: "A little, but apparently, people can't keep the Cross Fusion under control. So far, I'm the only one able to perform it and keep it up for longer than a few seconds."

Shine looked at him in awe, then asked: "Could you show me?"

Lan thought for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders a little and said: "I don't see why I couldn't."

"Lan! You know we shouldn't do that when dad's not around!" Mega's voice bleeped out from Lan's PET. 

"Ah! Chill out, Mega!!" Lan replied back with a laugh, and switched on the Dimensional Area.

--

From the shadows, watched a young-looking man with navy-blue hair and clothes of a typical Greek-style, and a necklace and pendant with Zeus' emblem on it, extremely curious to this 'Cross Fusion'. It might prove useful for them later on. 

"Red, record this," he silently ordered his Navi.

"Yes, Sol," his Navi said calmly, and began a recording of the whole ordeal by hacking into one of the cameras in the room -- without being jacked in.

--

The brunette walked into the glass chamber, pulling out his PET as he closed the door behind him. The young girl walked closer, almost equally curious as he was. Lan gave her a thumbs-up and a wink, to which Shine nodded with a smile.

He pulled out the blue Synchro-Chip.

--

"Synchro-Chip!! Slot in!!!"

--

The second the chip had slot into the PET, it began to emit an eerie light of some sort. Then, shouting out over the screech being emitted by the PET, were the voices of both Lan and MegaMan.

"CROSS FUSION!!!"

Lan released his PET, and it was immediately engulfed in a sea of light. Shine didn't dare to close her eyes in fear of missing something. She watched as Lan's clothes waved violently in some sort of none-existing wind, before data seemed to form around him, and attached itself to the boy's body, forming a very familiar blue armor. At the center of his chest, formed an equally familiar yellow and red symbol. His hair spiked up at the back of his head as his cranium got covered up with a sturdy helmet, and the lower half of his face got covered up. Finally, the jump suit slid into place, only this time, lighter blue race-stripes ran over both the jump suit and the armor. It didn't take long for the light to fade away.

"Tada!!" Lan said proudly, hands on his hips. "So, what do you think?"

A slightly digital whistle sounded from the PET on Shine's belt, and Muramasa mumbled: "Whoa, technology these days. Before you know it, we'll have hovercycles racing over the streets."

Shine giggled a little, while Lan and Mega chuckled at the comment. 

--

After the introduction with the Cross Fusion, Shine and Lan both went separate ways to do all sorts of requests, but they met up back at the Center to talk about their 'missions'. So you could say, the two were getting better friends, but still not best friends. They both had others for that.

They never realized they were closely followed by a set of deep-gray eyes, poised in a frown. He watched the two for some time, then gingerly smoothed out his clothes, and removed the frown from his face. Making sure not to draw that much attention to himself, which wasn't at all that hard, he began to walk toward the request-board, making sure to bang into her, sending her sprawling.

"Itai!" Shine cried out as she fell to the ground.

"Oh my goodness! I'm terribly sorry!" he said, and quickly helped her to get up. "That was dumb."

"Quite," Muramasa's voice hissed quite enraged.

Lan finally stepped up to beside Shine and asked while glaring up at him: "Just who are you anyway?! And what are you doing here?!"

"Oh yes, of course. I apologize. My name is Sol Sabre, and I was simply looking for something to occupy my time with. Or has that become illegal?"

Lan narrowed his eyes in suspicion. There was something wrong with this guy, but he had no idea as to what it was.

--

While Shine and Lan talked to Sol, Muramasa and MegaMan faced off with the boy's Navi.

He had long, waist-length, fiery-red hair, while his entire armor was a deep blue hue, with several, slightly lighter areas when nearing the joints. The chest armor was deep blue with a light blue area running over the lower side of the armor. His helmet was the same colors and had a glass-like visor that ended in a point a few inches away from his nose, which almost completely covered his face. His eyes were a deep green hue, and effectively hid all his emotions from view. Also, there were multiple scars running over his armor, but most of them were on his left side, and there was one on his chest, a mirror image of that of Bass.

"I must apologize for my Operator," he said sincerely, even though his eyes said nothing. "He can be a little stupid sometimes."

"Who can't be?" Muramasa asked with a scoff, crossing her arms over her chest.

There was an air around this guy that she didn't trust. It didn't register _why_ she distrusted him, but she did, and she couldn't change that 1-2-3.

"And do _you_ have a name for yourself, or didn't he give you one?" Mega asked, a frown clear on his face. 

Apparently, he also disliked him. Muramasa wouldn't blame him even if she could.

"Yes, I have a name for myself. I am Red Chaos Mage, but plain Red will be fine."

Muramasa's eyes narrowed slightly, but she said nothing. Suddenly Red looked her way, and her head immediately began pounding violently.

But not like it showed.

Still, she was confused about why it hurt so much. What was going on?

--

Sol casually wiped a lock of hair from his face and said: "In any case, I should be going. Well, ciao."

With a composed calmness, he walked away from them toward the request-board, about 10 feet away from them. Neither of the kids moved for some time, and simply watched him walk off for a moment. Still, they had to break the silence, fast.

"He's… strange…" Shine whispered softly. 

"Tell me about it," Lan grumbled.

"Just who was that guy?" she asked, turning to face Lan.

"I have no idea," Lan answered, turning to her as well. "I'll ask dad if he knows someone by that name."

"Okay. But I think I should be going now. Bye Lan!" 

And with a wave, she left, smiling broadly. But there was something different… yet Lan couldn't tell what it was.

--

"Smooth acting, sir," Red said with a cold chuckle, one hand on his hip casually.

Sol snickered slightly and said: "Not that bad yourself, Red. But we should figure out a way to get those Synchro-Chips."

Red only nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. It was clear that he was thinking of what to do. Sol was also thinking, but he made it seem like he was checking out various requests, while he wasn't even bothering to read them.

__

Beep-beep! Beep-beep!

"Sir, you have mail. It's from Lord X."

Sol carefully looked around to make sure no one was looking at him, and opened the email quickly.

--

__

There's been a slight change in plans. There exist things called Synchro-Chips. These chips apparently let Operators and Navis merge in the real world. Find those chips and bring them back here, along with the data for the Dimensional Areas. Do not waste time.

--

X

--

"Sir?" Red asked, wondering what his Operator would do.

Sol tapped his chin with a finger, lost in thought for a moment as he closed the email and dumped it in the trash. He calmly placed his PET in its holster on his belt, and stood there for a while, just thinking. 

Finally, he broke the silence and pulled his PET back out.

"Red, contact Xenou, _now_!"

Red paled at the mention of that name, but nodded nevertheless. With lightning-fast speed, Red ran several programs inside his PET, and gave several commands, before the line was finally opened.

A person's face, shrouded in complete darkness appeared on the screen, with only the nose and mouth visible, none of which gave away the person's gender. 

"Yes, Sol? What is it you want from me?" a completely digitized voice asked, the man's mouth moving in sync with the words spoken.

Sol swallowed the slight nervousness he always felt when talking to this guy, and said: "I need your---" he gulped a little, "---help. Have you gotten Lord X's message?"

"About the Synchro-Chips? Yes, I have, and the message was trashed. What about it?"

Sol hesitated for less than a second at that, but he answered nevertheless.

"The chips are here, at the Official Center, but they're heavily guarded. Still, it's easy to hack in here. I might be able to hack in, but I need your help in dealing with security."

The man was silent for a moment, then, a smirk passed over his face.

"You did well in asking me for help. And I am sure Skeith will be just as pleased as I am."

Sol released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and said: "Thank you."

"Do not mention it. But we need one more helper to take care of the security outside."

"I'll figure something out."

"Very well. Delete."

"Delete," Sol said with a nod, and the connection was cut off.

"Sir…" Red said softly.

"I know, I know…" Sol hissed softly. "But what choice do we have?"

Red didn't answer.

"Send the video to Lord X."

"Understood."

--

Shine walked past several stores, and looked at everything that was displayed, quite curious as to what people had to offer to others. But most things didn't really make any sense, while others looked rather… tempting.

But even so, Shine kept on walking, still smiling warmly. Just too bad Muramasa decided to butt in.

"Hora, Shine. We should really head back now. I've got a funny feeling about that Blaze character…"

Shine blinked and pulled out her PET.

"What? You mean Chaud's dad?"

Muramasa rolled her eyes in absolute irritation.

"No, the pope. OF COURSE, Chaud's dad!!"

"Whoa! Excuse me!" Shine mumbled, but did head back.

She headed for Chaud's house, taking note that the sun was already starting to set. So they'd been at the Center for quite some time. 

--

"Stop!" Chaud shouted, and the red-armored Navi immediately stopped. "I think that's enough for today."

"You two didn't stop training after we left, eh?" a familiar digital voice asked, making Chaud turn slightly.

Shine was leaning against a wall with a smile on her face, with some loose locks hanging in front of her face. Her hands were casually put in her pockets, as she cocked her head to get the locks of hair from her eyes. 

"What makes you say that?" ProtoMan asked with a smirk playing on his lips.

Muramasa chuckled and said: "Call it a hunch."

Shine pulled her hands from her pockets and moved aside the loose locks of hair, then wiped the smile off her face, and asked: "Chaud, do you know someone called 'Sol Sabre'?"

Chaud blinked, then thought about it for a second. Finally though, he shook his head.

"No, the name doesn't ring any bells."

"Oh. Alright then," Shine said plainly with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Why do you ask?"

"No reason, really."

Chaud frowned slightly, but said nothing. But he could feel that something was wrong, though she seemed to be just fine.

"Are you alright?" he finally asked, making her look up in surprise.

"Nani? Hai, I'm okay. How so?"

Chaud shrugged his shoulders lightly, but said nothing.

He just couldn't shake the feeling like something was wrong.

--

Somewhere on the other side of town, in one of the houses not far from Lan's, was a girl working silently with her PET. 

Her fingers rapped at the keys of the keyboard, and her crimson eyes moved from the computer-screen to that of her PET every now and then. Beside the PET, rested a headband with a set of square goggles on them, while her raven-black hair with red strakes hung in small waves over her shoulder, that way reaching just below her collar. Beside the keyboard, rested her pair of reddish-brown gloves, illuminated slightly in the artificial light of her desk-lamp. She currently wore a sleeve- and collarless crimson shirt over a black T-shirt, some loose black jeans, and her white socks. Her crimson runners stood at the foot of the bed. 

Finally, she tapped in the final command and pressed enter with a wide grin on her face.

"ROLL IT!!" she shouted enthusiastically as her Navi appeared on the PET's screen, looking rather groggy.

Rolling away from the computer, she sat in front of the PET, with her arms resting on the desk, and her chin resting on her arms.

"Ye all betta now, Sonica?" she asked calmly, yet slightly worried for her Navi.

"Yeah, I'm arrite now, Pyra," Sonica mumbled rubbing her still aching head. "But I's is gonna getta rematch from tha guy! And this time I'll fry 'im!!" she shouted, and immediately regretted it as her head began pounding again. "Ow…"

"Calm down already! Jus' calm down arrite? Look, we's got 'bout a week left fer the N1 Grand-Prix, so we's gotta train really hard this week if we're gonna win! Arrite? Le's take care o' _tha_ first!" Pyra said, smiling at her Navi as she rubbed her sore head.

Sonica thought about it for a moment, then nodded and said: "Arrite. But, can I take a rest first? Me head's killin' me!"

Pyra laughed, burying her face in her arms. Sonica frowned slightly, but said nothing as she waited for her Operator to calm a little.

"Arrite, arrite. We'll start tamorrow, good 'nough?" Pyra finally asked, tears coming from her eyes.

"Yeah, sure. Night, Pyra-chan!"

"GACK!!! Stop callin' me tha!!!" Pyra shouted, but Sonica had already turned off the PET.

And this could be just Pyra's imagination, but she could've sworn she heard her Navi laugh inside the PET.

--

"The Official Center?" Zero asked in slight surprise.

"Yes, sir," Red said with a nod.

Zero put one hand to his chin, while the other rested on his hip. Apparently, he was thinking things over once or twice. Finally though, he smirked violently, exposing his sharp fangs.

"Red, tell Sol to wait with the shoplifting until the second night before the Grand-Prix. The security always begins to slacken at that point. And if anyone stands in your way, you know what to do."

Red smirked a bloodthirsty smirk, cold amusement glittering in his burning green eyes as he said: "Very much so."

The two Navis saluted each other, each saying "Delete", before plugging out.

X opened his eyes from his spot in one of the chairs, and stood up. He picked up his PET and walked toward a large battle-arena, attached to several machines in the room.

--

"Activate… Zero Omega… Transmission…"

--

Zero appeared inside the arena, glaring at the gigantic viruses roaming around. All in all, they counted over 500.

"2 minutes, Zero," came X's voice. "Starting…… NOW!!!"

With a furious yell, Zero lunged forward, saber drawn and ready to kill anything standing in his way.

-- 

****

D. Zero: What took you so long with this anyway??

Z: I was having trouble trying to advance the plot! 

D. X: [whistles] That's going to be a pain in the neck.

Z: Tell me about it.

Miri-chan: Sis, when're you going to post that Christmas story?

Z: Once Song finishes her part and mails it.

D. Zero: That'll take time. [CLANK] OW!!! OKAY, _NOW_ WHAT?!?!

Z: [stands there with a frying-pan in hand] Just learn not to voice your thoughts every time you think of something.

D. X: That's asking for the impossible. [CLANK] OW!!!!

Z: And that goes for you too, X!!

--

__

PS: I'm going to write a separate fic, in which you can ask any of us (everyone described in my bio) a couple of questions. I'm not sure where I'll post it, as FF.net no longer accepts stuff like that, so I'll try to think of something. But if you really want to know something from us, send me a mail, but don't review it, cause I won't answer it with the next update (which might take time due to plot-development).


	23. Chapter VIII Part 2: Spies

****

Z: Well, I made it. Whew.

D. Zero: 'Bout time too.

------------------------------------

TJ and Rikumon: Don't bother TJ. Those guys were just being annoying. (D. Zero, D. X & E-kun: "WERE NOT!!!") Shut up, all three of you. And no, Soul Fusion goes with Navis only (I think @_@).

Pyrogirll23: I think the colors are okay, but the style's just… well… unlike what I'm used to. [glances at D. Zero] (D. Zero: "Hey what're you looking at me for?!?!") [shrugs]

BnG Fan Guest: I thought Mega said: "Ah! I can feel it crawling around on my eyeball! Get it out! Get it out!" But yeah, it's close. Thanks for liking the story so much. 

Song: No, I didn't get it. Sorry. Anyway, check my "Holiday Greetings" story and read the Christmas Special A/N on advice on what to do, okay?

Sol Sabre: [grabs Sol Sabre by his hair and yanks him away from the desk] WILL YOU JUST CALM DOWN ALREADY?!?! Listen, for now, you might seem "corny", but that was just an act, alright?! Just wait and see how the story progresses!! ALRIGHT?!!? Oh, and this might help for that lump on your head. [places ice-pack on Sol Sabre's head]

Aori Tsuki: Glad you like. And yes, there are some fellow authors in here posing as characters. Uh… Razor is one of my own friends and a fellow author [he helps me with a lot of things if I ever get stuck somewhere [which is a lot -_-;;]]. Tsuchi and Sara are owned by Chibiki/Chibiki-Wuz-Here. [Sara: "Hey!! Nobody owns me!!" Chibi-chan: "Oh will you shut up!!!"]. Pyra and Sonica are obvious. As are RCM and Sol. [glances over to Sol Sabre] Anyway, if you liked the A/N to this story, you might like "Mega Man Zeal", though it's a lot more serious than this fic's A/N.

RCM: Don't worry about it. And I'll see what I can do.

------------------------------------

--

****

Chapter VIII Part 2: Spies

"So this X character was the one responsible for all those attacks?"

"Most likely. Those Navis most likely had their own Operators, but X was the main leader."

"Aha. Well, that's good to know. Now we won't have much trouble getting him behind bars."

"It's not that easy."

"Huh?? How so??"

"Because we need proof. They won't believe us if we don't give them some solid proof."

"Well, we do, don't we?"

"No, all we got are words spoken by a bunch of bad-ass Navis."

--

Razor jammed a cartridge into his buster with the lower half of his palm, and charged it, before releasing a shot. The pellet of plasma collided with a pillar, and it shattered into pieces instantly. After blowing the smoke away, he sheathed it and leaned back on his arms.

"I thought words were enough?" Tsuchi asked, snapping with her whip at thin air.

"Not when it comes to the Center," Razor mumbled, tapping his fingers in slight annoyance. "Those guys want solid proof or they won't do a thing about it."

Tsuchi and Razor had become good friends after their little encounter with Crystal.EXE, who had tried to crystallize the entire Net a few months back. They weren't close enough to be called best friends, because for one, Razor had Muramasa for that, and Tsuchi had her own Operator for that. Still, the two Navis managed to get along very well.

"Hey, if we manage to get X to reveal himself at the N1 Grand-Prix, we got him!" Tsuchi suddenly said, smiling brightly.

"You're joking," Razor said, turning his head to face her. "What kind of lunatic would try something like that during the N1? And even if they manage, somehow, they have to be goddamn prepared."

Tsuchi gave a small nod, and continued cracking her whip at thin air. Razor barely paid it any heed as he lay down on the roof of the building they were on. 

"You know, most people can't stand it when I play with my whip," Tsuchi suddenly mumbled.

Razor shrugged his shoulders, and put his hands behind his head. He lay silent for a moment, before he finally answered.

"I'm not quickly bothered by something like that. As long as you don't hit _me_ with it, it's fine by me."

"Oh."

__

Crack

"Sara thinks I should stop it. But I really don't feel like it."

"There's a lot of stuff people can do to annoy people. But you should never try to change who you are."

"Yeah, I know."

Silence reigned for a moment, with just Tsuchi's whip cracking in the air breaking the deadly silence.

"So~o," she finally droned. "What aspect of yours annoys the hell outta people?"

Razor closed his eyes for a moment and chuckled.

"Me being a freaking daredevil."

Tsuchi raised an eyebrow at him and said: "Elaborate."

"Alright," Razor said and got up from where he was lying.

After wiping some imaginary dust off his armor, he looked around to take a closer look at the area they were in. There wasn't much there, seeing as they were on a roof. Razor walked toward one side of the roof and peeked over the edge. Down below was the street, so he straightened up and headed for the other side. Tsuchi watched him in curiosity as he walked to the side of the building. The Navi peeked over again, and finally gave an approving nod, before walking back to Tsuchi.

"I'll be right back," Razor said calmly, and suddenly ran -- straight over the edge.

"RAZOR!!!" Tsuchi screamed, running for the edge.

"Yes?!" Razor called back from the flag post hanging a few stories lower.

Tsuchi gaped at him, then growled and shouted: "You scared me you freaking daredevil!!"

Razor shrugged with a look she couldn't describe, before he jumped back onto the roof with ease. 

"I tend to do rather dangerous stuff. It annoys most people, but Muramasa's a little intrigued, if you ask me."

"How so?" Tsuchi asked, gingerly wrapping her whip around her hand, before unfolding it again and cracking it in the air again.

"She keeps challenging me. I think she's trying to see how far she can push me until I chicken out."

Tsuchi smiled and asked: "You sure she's not your girl?"

Razor frowned as he sat down on the edge of the roof, legs dangling over the side.

"I told you a million times already; I just don't like her _that_ way!" Razor said calmly as Tsuchi sat down beside him on the roof's edge. "She's just not my type."

"But you never backed away from a challenge."

"That's only natural. Comes with the territory."

Tsuchi nodded, before turning to face ahead. Razor didn't bother to respond, as he just stared ahead, not paying any attention to anything else.

He was thinking… about everything and nothing.

Things had really gotten messy. All that stuff with NightMare and Zero had made him stop a few moments to just think everything over. He had the strange feeling that he'd heard the name Thimoto somewhere before. And that Navi… he'd had a strange, but oddly familiar air around him. Like he'd actually seen that guy before. But where could he have? The name Zero Omega meant nothing to him, though there was something in the back of his mind tugging at his consciousness for it to stop and listen. 

Razor didn't have the time to do that however. There were other things on his mind right now. Like figuring out what was happening to a certain gray-haired female he was very much familiar with. Muramasa had come up to him one time, saying she felt really strange, like there was some sort of presence in her mind. He had not laughed at her, he had not scorned her, he had not told her she was crazy, and he had not walked off in disgust or fear… just listened to her, and sat her down so she could explain everything to him.

That had most likely been the reason she came to him. Even though Muramasa was not one to open up, she _knew_ she could trust him not to laugh, or make fun of her. Razor kept many of Muramasa's darkest secrets away from the world, because he had vowed to Muramasa that he would never let her down.

Razor was like a strong vault of some kind, and inside, he kept safe the secrets Muramasa would not be able to share with the world. And whether or not she told him, she was grateful for that. He could just tell by looking at her face.

The conversation had progressed like it had always had. Muramasa barely looked at him as she spoke, and even when she did, it only lasted for about two seconds. Not once had Razor interrupted, and had just waited for her to finish. Once she did, he asked a couple of things she did not mention, and she simply answered to the best of her abilities. Which was pretty good by the way, Muramasa was really good when it came to explaining things in her own words, but the words sometimes seemed to escape her when she needed them the most.

He didn't mind at all. It was what made Muramasa so special in her own way. 

But Muramasa seemed really frightened of that odd presence in her head, and he knew it took a lot to scare her. And he asked what had scared her so badly. And to be honest, it scared him too.

Razor shivered as he remembered Muramasa's words, being etched into every part of his circuitry.

--

__

I was walking across a field of some kind… but it's weird, because it wasn't the Net. It didn't resemble the Net in any way, and it was almost like I was in the real world. Like I was… real…

I walked on, to where, I don't remember, but all I know was that I was supposed to keep walking. I couldn't stop, and I didn't, just because that… that… voice… told me not to. I arrived at a city, and I kept on walking, ignoring everyone walking past me. But something… told me to stop.

Once I stopped, someone stopped in front of me, asking what was wrong. He couldn't have been any older than 9, 10… and I… I…

I killed him…

Punched my fist straight through his skull…

People started screaming, and it began to hurt my ears. So in order to make the sound go away… I killed them all… The sounds stopped… but… there wasn't a single sound left. They were all dead… littered over the streets like garbage…

Oh kami-sama… there was so much blood pouring from them, and it was all over me… I couldn't get it off… just couldn't… get it off…

It wouldn't… wouldn't leave me alone… just… just spread all around… and… all… over… me…

Oh kami… kami-sama… it… it was… was a sea… an ocean… of red… it was everywhere… e… very… where…

But I… I… I simply… laughed…

I couldn't stop it… I just laughed_! I laughed while I had just… _killed_ people!_

I don't know why… I don't know what it means… but it's scaring me… it's really… scaring me…

--

Muramasa had really been afraid of that, and it showed. She had pulled up her knees to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around them, and her entire frame shaking vigorously. Razor had soothed her in the best way he could. 

He had hugged her.

Just like that. Simply pulled her to him and hugged her.

For once, she didn't object; most likely because she was way too stressed to do so. Razor was just glad he had trained with her, or she would've squeezed him into half. 

Okay, so he was exasperating a little, but she did have a strong grip, there was no denying that. 

One more thing that might be a good thing to know, was that they always got rid of their helmets during these kind of conversations, and… well… Razor took a small chance that could've cost him his head.

He petted her hair.

Muramasa had flinched visibly, as if he hurt her, so he simply smoothed out his hand over those long tresses of hair. Surprisingly, Muramasa didn't blow up at the gesture. She simply staid there, and she seemed to calm down slightly, although her body still shook.

Razor had said nothing, and had continued to hold her, and just stroked her hair with slow movements, combing through the tresses gingerly. He knew all too well that people with long hair were very sensitive considering their hair, seeing as it's hell to take care of that entire mass. Not to mention that it hurts like hell if someone pulls at your hair. He should know, having a long mass of hair himself, though not nearly as long as Muramasa's. 

Though, the vision of Muramasa standing over thousands of dead humans, laughing her head off, was a sight that both sickened and frightened him. He knew all too well Muramasa could do it if she could come to the real world, but the question that bugged him was one most would ask in a situation like this.

__

Would she?

Razor opened his eyes, not having realized that he had closed them in the first place. They must've been up there for an awfully long time, seeing as his internal sensors indicated it was almost ready for supper. The sun was setting, coloring the world a deep red color…

Oh god…

Almost immediately, screams echoed out through his mind, and he could almost hear Muramasa laughing as the screams slowly ebbed away.

And everything was red…

Every… single… thing…

Razor yelped and shook his head violently, grasping his head tightly in his hands to force the images away that threatened to accompany it.

"Razor??" Tsuchi asked, confused.

Razor looked over at Tsuchi and said, before she could even ask: "Don't ask. It's a secret I vowed to keep safe. But it's affecting me far worse than I ever imagined."

Tsuchi just stared at him for a moment, then nodded in understanding.

"Okay, I understand. I won't pry. I might be a real blabber-mouth sometimes, but I know when to stop."

Razor smiled gingerly at that and lowered his hands again, the image finally erased from his mind.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Tsuchi replied with a smile.

--

Mike was typing away on a PC he'd bought with the money he'd earned with his job as an Official, summing up a report of a mission he'd been on last night. It was more of a habit of keeping everything in check than to find a pattern in the attacks. But he did try that out, plenty of times, but it just didn't make any sense. 

His fingers flew over the keyboard, hitting several keys within a mere second, before a familiar ringing alarmed him that someone was using the telephone to call him. That was odd in itself, as barely anyone knew his number.

Then it dawned to him, and without skipping a beat, he kicked against the bottom of the table, knocking the horn of the telephone off the receiver, and making it tumble clear in his hand.

"Michael Necros," he mumbled plainly.

He listened, and smiled widely.

"Yeah, I was hoping to hear from you. How's it going?"

………………

"Hehehe. I can imagine. Anyway, what're they scheming _now_?!"

………………

"They're after what???"

………………

"Uh-huh. Okay, I think I get it. A little."

………………

"Oh shut up! Now what does that have to do with---"

………………

"…Oh. Right, I get it. So, when did you say?"

………………

"Okay. We'll be there. See ya there."

Mike slammed the horn back down on the receiver and hurriedly typed in commands on his PET to contact his Navi.

"Razor!"

"Yes? What's wrong, Mike?" Razor asked calmly.

"Get back here. There's trouble."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

It only took 10 whole seconds for Razor to reappear in his PET, and he turned a worried glance at his Operator. 

"Mike, what's the deal?" Razor asked, as Mike began to type away at the PC, only at a faster pace than usual.

"Zahler's going after something called the 'Synchro-Chips'. Apparently, those things make Navis and Operators merge in the real world."

"What?!?!?" Razor demanded, apparently shocked out of his wits. "What would people want with that?!"

"Well, I know what Zahler wants," Mike mumbled. "But the 'Synchro-Chips' only seem to work in something called the 'Dimensional Area'. So the chips without the Dimensional Area are useless. And both of them can be found at the Official Center."

Razor scoffed, and mumbled: "Some place to hide something of great value."

"Tell me about it. I'm going to send them a fake order to transport the chips to the Science Labs, and by the time they figure it out, Zahler will have already attacked."

"Good plan."

--

A dark figure slammed the horn on the receiver and left the telephone cell calmly as if nothing had transpired. The long trench coat covered his entire body, and the brimmed hat on his head shielded the upper part of his face in shadows. Pulling the brim closer down his face, he started walking, hands in his pockets, and not abandoning the dark corridors at all.

A set of dark eyes moved to glance over his shoulder, before he turned back to the road, already having noticed the person sneaking up on him. 

--

X was bathed in a stony silence, standing in total darkness, eyes alight with a fury beyond anything the world had ever seen. Eyes flickering between icy blue and deep bloodruby red, as he stood, his entire torso bared, exposing the scars on his back and chest, caused by whips and knives alike. 

Around him, sparked an aura you could not see, hear, or feel, but by just looking at him, you _knew_ it was there. It was almost… like there was someone standing in the same place and position as himself. Because those with a good eye, would be able to see the ghost of a figure out-lining the brunette's entire visage down to the millimeter.

The silence in the room would've sent anyone fleeing for the cities, but X simply stood, eyes staring intently at the floor, even though it was hard to make out anything in the pitch-black darkness.

Pulsing through his whole body, was an energy that did not belong with humans, he knew, but it was there, and he could not get rid of it. He tried, but he failed every single time. And finally, he had accepted it, knowing that there was no way out of it no matter what he tried.

But the silence of the room… it served a purpose…

Thoughts…

Endless… thoughts…

Thoughts he couldn't get rid off, as he felt like he was losing himself in the darkness around him…

--

__

Why must I do this?

Have you forgotten? You want revenge for what they did… remember?

Yes… but must I do this? It hurts… god it hurts…

No pain… no gain, kid… it's always been that way.

What do I gain then?

You ask too many questions… Succumb to the darkness… let it wash all your worries away…

…But I want to know… what do I gain?

Do not ask questions like that… no one will ever answer but yourself once you have it…

Then when do I have it?

Once you have it… and I do not know when that time comes…

But I thought…

Shush… you ask far… far too much… just sleep… sleep and rest your body…

……Yes… alright…

Good boy…

--

Just then, X was startled back into consciousness by a familiar sound coming from the computer. Blinking away the drowsiness, X easily found his way through the darkness, finding his shirt and pulling it over his head.

"Illuminate," he called out, and immediately, the room was flooded with light.

X pulled on his gloves, before pressing the button on the PC.

A familiar face appeared on the screen. That of Sol Sabre.

"Sol, what is the problem?" X asked, adjusting his gloves slightly.

Sol's eyes were fixed in the usual frown, and he didn't hesitate when he said: "Sir, I caught Watson sending information to the Officials. He had just made the call."

"WHAT?!?!" X roared in anger, eyes flaring with hatred. "What did he say?!!?"

"He told them of our assault on the Official Center. Most likely, they'll transport the chips to the Science Labs."

X clenched his fists tightly until the knuckles turned white, and he growled angrily.

"Sol, change of plans, attack that place, _tomorrow_!!!"

"Tomorrow?!!?" Sol asked in surprise. "Sir, don't you think that's a little---"

"SHUT UP!!!" X screamed, and Sol snapped his mouth shut. "Figure out a way to get the Dimensional Area. Once we control that, I'll send Red Alert."

Sol's eyes widened and his jaw dropped in shock.

"But sir!"

"NO BUTS!!! JUST DO AS YOU'RE TOLD!!!" X roared, before killing the connection.

The brunette was really steamed now, and it showed as he intended to kick over a wooden desk, but ended up breaking it with the ferocity behind the kick. 

"ANDRORAZOR!!!!" he screamed in absolute anger.

A hologram flashed to life, and a seemingly male version of NightMare appeared, only he had arms and legs, along with Demon Wings that seemed more designed for flying than NightMare's. 

His entire design was unlike anything the world had ever seen, and almost resembled that of NightMare in every single way. Deep pitch-black armor with shining amethyst edges, two sharp shoulderpads covering up his shoulders, shimmering on his chest was a dark red gem, the same size and shape as NightMare's, and the two gigantic Demon Wings were big enough to completely wrap him up if he desired to. Deep purple, spiked hair stood atop his unprotected head, and his stark white complexion was simply frightening, and at the spot where his ears were supposed to be were two sharp spikes attached to metal circles that enhanced his hearing. But the worst of it were the eyes. Burning orbs of bloodruby red, shimmering with nothing but anger, hatred and pure uncontrolled rage.

"You hollered?" the figure asked, with a voice that contained absolutely no emotion. 

"Get Red Alert ready! Tomorrow night, we ransack the Official Center, and once the dawn comes, we attack!"

A cold, emotionless smirk crossed the figure's face. With a flourish that he wasn't supposed to have, he bowed, and the hologram flickered off.

"Getting a bit emotional, aren't we?" a familiar voice asked.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Zero," X hissed.

"No, but you should really learn to control your temper."

X whirled around and was about to open his mouth, but he shut it on second thought.

After taking a deep breath, he mumbled: "You're right. I shouldn't get all that riled up about something like that."

"Good to know that you finally realized," Zero said with a nod.

X frowned a little. Sometimes, he didn't know who controlled whom. Was it X controlling Zero, or was Zero controlling X?

He really had no clue.

"Well, whatever," X mumbled picking up his jacket and pulling it on easily. "We should get ready. The Grand-Prix's on its way and all."

"Agreed."

--

"It worked!"

"He fell for it?!"

"Yes! Can you believe my luck?!"

"So, he's attacking tomorrow?"

"Hmmhmmm. But listen, you _have_ to stop them! He's going to send the best of the best to get the chips, and he's sending us to get the data on the Dimensional Area."

"I understand."

"Well, there's a first."

"Oh shut up."

--

In the meantime, a young girl was also typing away at the PC, as various battle-shouts were coming from her PET. It didn't bother her, and she continued to type away, ignoring her Navi. 

Pyra frowned as a lock of hair wouldn't stay behind her hair and quickly moved it back. She had typed a few words, before it dropped back in front of her face again. A snarl came from her throat, and she picked up her goggles. After placing them around her head, she put them on her forehead, and continued to work. That is, until a message popped up on her PET.

"Yo, Pyra! Mail's here!!" Sonica's voice called out as she stopped doing her kata's. 

"Yeah, yeah, I heard."

Pyra rolled over while still sitting in her chair and pulled up the new message she had received. 

"Oh me gosh!! It's from Mike!!"

"WHAT?!?! READ IT!! READ IT!!!"

--

__

"To: Pyra Akaidra

From: Michael Necros

Subject: ----

--

Hello Pyra. Long time no see. Razor told me he met your Navi at KotoSquare, so I figured you to be around. Not like he knew, seeing as he's never known you to have one. But anyway, I need to talk to you in person. I can't explain over email, just because it's too dangerous that this is intercepted. This can't wait, so please meet me at 542-RH at 1900 hours.

--

Sincerely,

Mike"

--

"Still bein' the riddler, eh?" Pyra mumbled, chuckling, and placed her PET in the recharger again. "Sonica, search the map of Den City for coordinates 542-RH."

Sonica blinked, but shrugged and did as she was told. Not long after, a map of Den City popped up, and a visor roamed over the screen, before coming to a stop. The screen enhanced several times, and it revealed to be a section of a house.

"Right. Split the map in half down the middle 'n' mirror tha position on the other half."

Sonica was still confused, but did as she was told. This time, the visor stopped right above the ACDC Town Park.

"Well, there's our meetin' point!"

--

At 18:55, Pyra made her way into the ACDC Park, looking around with a smile as her goggles rested securely on her forehead. Her PET hung in the usual holster on her belt, and she carried her backpack around on her back, just incase, you never knew.

Just then, Pyra made out a figure sitting on one of the swings, one leg pulled up while the other kept him up in the air on the swing, and one hand grasping the chain on the right. Smirking wickedly, Pyra crept over, quiet as a mouse. So far, he didn't seem to have noticed her. She was just about to shout 'surprise', when…

"Don't even think about it," came Mike's composed voice, and Pyra's shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"Aw! How'd ya know it was me?" Pyra asked, jumping on the other swing and beginning to swing while still standing.

"You think I'm going to blow my biggest secret?" Mike asked teasingly. "So, how've you been?"

"Tha's all ya wanted to know?" Pyra asked, confused.

"No, just trying to pass the time until the others get here," Mike said calmly.

"The others?"

Mike was about to respond, when he looked away from Pyra to turn to a girl who was steadily approaching, one hand on her hip and the other holding the strap of her backpack. 

"Yo Sara!!" Mike shouted, waving the other girl over.

The blonde smiled and stalked over.

"Hey Mike, got yourself a girlfriend, did ya?"

Mike frowned and said: "Pyra's a friend I've known since I was a kid, alright?"

Sara rolled her eyes and said: "Suuuuuure, Mike, sure."

"It's the truth!! Pyra, tell her, will you?!" Mike said, turning to the other brunette.

Pyra pretended to look crushed, and she sniffled as she said: "Wha?? I dun mean anythin' ta ya now? But I thought we _had_ somethin'!!"

"PYRA!!!"

Pyra burst out laughing and managed to get out: "I'm kiddin' I'm kiddin'!!"

Sara covered up her giggles with her hand, and Mike simply gave her a nasty glare.

"Well, looks like the only one missing is… speak of the devil… Hey Shun!! Over here!!"

Sara instantly turned to Mike in shock.

"What?!?! _He's _here too!!"

"Shut up," Mike hissed as the gray-haired boy approached them.

Shun smiled at Mike, and gave a small nod as the other boy got up from the swing.

"Right, looks like that's everybody. I want all three of you to listen carefully."

The trio instantly turned to Mike, who began to explain their situation.

--

"Bloody Hell…" Sonica mumbled tapping a finger on her sword's hilt, which she had stabbed into the ground in front of her. "Tha don't sound too good."

Quint seemed to look thoughtful, though you could hardly tell with his shades on, and Tsuchi was tapping the end of her whip against her chin. 

"Well, it's a good way to get them captured, right?"

"We first have to prove that they did it, because I doubt they're doing this on impulse," Razor said, turning to Tsuchi.

The brunette shrugged her shoulders, and resumed thinking.

"So, how're we going to do this?" Quint asked.

Razor tuned to them and said: "What choice do we have? We have to do this ourselves. That's why we didn't call in Shine… or Blaze. Those two would immediately warn the rest of the Officials, and that ruins our only chance to catch them red-handed."

Sonica gasped and said: "Ye planned this?!?!"

Razor turned to her and said: "Mike and I have certain… connections. Trust us on this one, okay?"

Sonica frowned for a moment, but finally, she smiled and nodded.

"Even though it's not the best plan in the world, I'm ready ta take them bloody bastards on anytime, anywhere. 'n' Especially tha fuckin' blonde Navi."

The girl growled, not noticing the shocked look she was getting from Razor.

"Blonde Navi?! You faced of with _ZERO_?!?!" he demanded, making everyone look at him. "When did you face _that _guy?!"

"When I was tryin' ta save tha demon lass from the fire at Koto…"

"Muramasa??? What were you even _doing_ there?!?!"

Sonica shrugged.

"Helpin' out, 'N' WE'RE BLOODY LEAVIN' THE SUBJECT!!!"

Razor winced at the loudness of her voice, but said nothing of it. They had other things to deal with.

-- 

****

Z: I have no idea what brought me down from MMZ to OtN, but you guys should be glad.

RCM: [walks into the room] Hey Zeal.

Z: Huh?? [turns to face RCM] Oh hey Red, something wrong?

RCM: Not really, but I was wondering how you got _that_. [points at Zeal's badly fractured arm]

Z: Eh?? Oh, this here? Damn Maverick caught me by surprise. I'm gonna see Gate in a moment.

RCM: Yeah right, just like last time, huh? Zero literally had to _carry_ you to the med-bay just because you wouldn't go by yourself!

Z: If you even plan on trying I'll kill you.

RCM: I'd like to see you try. [picks up Zeal easily and slings her over shoulder]

Z: DAMMIT YOU (lot of cursing I'm not going to repeat -_-;;;.)!!! [punches and kicks wildly] PUT ME DOWN ALREADY!!!!

RCM: Not likely. Sorry people. I'm taking this girl to the med-bay for a while, so we won't be back for awhile.

Z: [stops struggling] ……Do you have any idea how many perverted freaks are out there thinking dirty things right now?

RCM: Huh??? How so?

Z: GACK!!! Just---just shut up and get me out of here already!!! This is EMBARRASSING!!!

RCM: Fine, but I'm taking you to the med-bay, you know?

Z: I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!!! JUST GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!

RCM: Suit yourself. [salutes readers and teleports out with Zeal]

--

__

PS: I'm going to write a separate fic, in which you can ask any of us (everyone described in my bio) a couple of questions. I'm not sure where I'll post it, as FF.net no longer accepts stuff like that, so I'll try to think of something. But if you really want to know something from us, send me a mail, but don't review it, cause I won't answer it with the next update (which might take time due to plot-development).


	24. Chapter VIII Part 3: Red Mage Of Chaos

****

D. Zero: Wait… these guys're still alive?

Z: I was starting to doubt it myself.

D. X: What's with the FF reference?

Z: I don't know, it just came to me.

------------------------------------

Pyrogirll23: Thanks for the style girls, and I'm thinking about it, yeah.

TJ and Rikumon: Yeah, I got it! Thanks! ^_^

RCM: Thanks. (PS: Look out for Sol, alright?)

Sol Sabre: Hallelujah. (D. Zero: "Since when are you a believer?") I'm not. And Red asked me to tell you his comment wasn't personal.

Aori Tsuki: Thanks for liking it. And yes, I don't mind if you send it in, but I'm not sure if I'll receive it yes or no.

Trinity: I know, I know. Look, I'll have him removed as soon as I can. I just needed a good plot-device to get the story going again. BTW, tell Song I finished the Christmas special on my own. Thanks for the review with the flaws by the by.

Alitia Lee: Oh! Thanks for correcting me on that one! And sorry about the Japanese, I'm not really all that good with it. I just use the words I've seen around in other stories. And about Muramasa (small piece of BG info), in the real life, Ray went to a MA school, and those people believed in God and referred to Him as 'Kami-sama'. It just stuck with Ray.

toomuchanime: Thanks for liking the story.

------------------------------------

Chapter VIII Part 3: Red Mage Of Chaos

"Something's going to happen soon."

"I know."

"……Do you happen to know _what_?"

"…No."

"Whoa, great help you are."

"Shut up."

--

Jinn balanced a pen on the edge of his desk, and waited until it lay still, before slamming his hand down on the end of the pen. It flew up in the air, spinning wildly, but Jinn easily caught it in his hand. There was something going to happen, he could just feel it. But if you asked him _what_ was going to happen, he didn't know.

The boy sighed softly and placed his hand on the table with the fingers spread. He then set the pen he still held between the thumb and forefinger of the hand lying on the table. Face contorted in concentration, he started jabbing his pen in the table by alternating the spaces between his fingers. 

Jinn was one of the few people who could do that, and not stab himself in his fingers. He could do it blindfolded if he really wanted to, but that went a little too far for his own taste. He wasn't really a daredevil, and he most likely never would be. 

Unlike a certain Navi he knew.

Yeah, that Razor really was a violent Navi, and also a goddamned daredevil. If he wasn't careful, it'd get him deleted someday. Then again… Razor didn't really seem to care about that. 

That really seemed typical about that guy; action first, consequences later. Not like it really mattered. It was Razor's data, not his.

Tossing the subject out the window, and the pen easily into the small box with all the other pens and pencils he owned, he slammed a fist against the wall, making a book on a shelf topple over and into his outstretched hand. Another thing special about Jinn, was the strange rhythm of his lifestyle. By just looking at his behavior, you'd say he was very calm and composed, while in truth, he was anything but that. 

With a sigh, Jinn got up and walked to the bed, flipping open the book he was holding. 

'Now let's see here, where was I… oh, right.'

Dropping onto the bed, he started reading again.

--

__

Dr. Cossack's Navi was deleted for the deeds he was suspected to have done. It would be much later before the scientists would realize that the independent Navi had nothing to do with everything going on. The network, Alpha, was the source behind the Net's strange activities. Because somehow, Alpha had mutated into an artificial life-form, developing a will of its own, however twisted it may have been. 

It took months, but Alpha was finally locked away. Strangely enough though, it had never occurred to anyone to delete every trace of Alpha forever. 

After Alpha was sealed away, people became more cautious of their actions, and made sure not to make the same mistake twice. Yuuichiro Hikari took over his father's work on the network, after Dr. Tadashi Hikari passed away. Yuuichiro had been forced to stop several times, due to complications with his own family, but everything finally worked out. One of Tadashi's old colleagues, Dr. Kai Thimoto, helped the still young scientist, with the help of his own son a couple of years Yuuichiro's senior.

They started a project they dubbed 'Omega', but it never quite worked out, so the idea had been banished before even brought into motion. Dr. Thimoto swore to get rid of the data, and as he never mentioned it again, to anyone, it was presumed that he kept his word. 

Dr. Cossack's idea for Navis was still used, only now they made sure not to make them independent. And even though the good doctor did not take part in this, he was given most of the credit.

--

After hours of reading, Jinn finally closed the book, and sat up again. After stretching, he looked over at his PET, and noticed that Ragna was just recharging. The red and green Navi seemed obvious to just about everything, as he just sat in the PET, seemingly to be as calm as Jinn would appear to be.

But Jinn knew it was far from the truth.

"Hey Ragna," Jinn said calmly, making the Navi look up in surprise.

"Hmm??"

"Do you remember where we heard the name 'Omega' before?"

Ragna thought about that for awhile, furrowing his brows slightly. 

He finally shook his head, and said: "Not that I can remember. How so?"

"No reason, just wondering."

"Worried?"

"…Little. I just have the strangest feeling that something bad is going to happen soon."

"I know what you mean. It's been too quiet. But what could they possibly be after?"

Jinn shrugged his shoulders as he pulled out his PET and put it in his holster.

"I don't know, but we should try to figure it out. Let's go."

Something was changing, it was evident in the air, but nothing gave away _what_ was changing. As Jinn walked across the streets, his mind was light-years away from where he was at the moment. 

A lot of stuff had happened that required a lot of thinking, and he wasn't all that sure where to start. Everything had started with those resurrected Navis, and now things had taken a different turn, sending everyone into waves of confusion. First there was the trouble with the drill, then the crystallized Net, and then there were the MegaMan Killer Navis. Even though Jinn and Ragna had only seen one of them, they knew that there were most likely more of them. 

The battle with Bass had really been a fight they wouldn't soon forget. Even though Bass had nothing to do with Zahler, it had been a harsh fight that could've gotten them all killed if they hadn't been so lucky. Then again, it might've had something to do with their teamwork, because if they hadn't worked together, they never would've won at all.

But the energy around the Net had been shifting, up to a large scale, and it was now really beginning to show.

And that only meant trouble.

Needing some sort of release from all the stress, Jinn bought a ticket at the metro-station, and almost blindly headed for the Official Center. He needed to clear his mind, and quite fast.

--

By the time Jinn had arrived, the sun was already high in the sky, shining down brightly on everyone present there. Instead of heading for the Center, like he had first planned, Jinn made his way for the seashore. 

Once there, he stared across the vast sea, watching the waves crash against the shoreline. Usually, it always calmed his mind, but this time, it was failing miserably.

Something was going to happen…

Soon…

Very soon…

--

Ragna gingerly twirled his lance around in between his fingers. It really looked like something was going to happen soon, but whatever it was, he had no idea.

And still, his dream would not leave his mind.

**__**

*Dream sequence*

Blood dribbled past pale lips, as eyes had widened to almost twice their normal size, the color draining from the pale face. 

Heavy coughs, dark blood being spit from a clogged up throat. 

Knees buckling under the body's weight, while arms wound around the bleeding wound in its stomach. 

Dark black blood poured from the wound, and the body shook in contained pain and agony.

A digitized voice screamed in absolute terror, as the tremors grew, before stopping completely, making the body drop down to the floor. 

Blood pooled over the once marble tiles, now drenched a deep red and black.

Smoking gun, in the doorway, raised casually, and the smoke blown away, a small sound coming along with the small blow. 

Deep, icy eyes sparking with what appeared to be anger, but closer to hate than anger.

Screams of fury, incoherent words, cool response.

Artificial light reflects on jewelry, and still the blood continues to spill…

Always spreading…

Never ceasing…

Always…

And…

Forever…

Spreading…

**__**

*End Dream sequence*

Ragna furiously shook his head, trying to banish the thoughts from his mind. He shouldn't think about it. It wouldn't help anyone. 

Then again, that dream _had_ been bothering him for some time now. 

With a sigh, he simply watched his Operator for awhile. Jinn didn't seem to realize that he was stressed, but he didn't bother. He didn't need anymore stress.

--

Jinn watched as the water leapt up, trying to get to him and to pull him under, but he was out of its reach. He had absolutely no intentions of joining the water. 

Strangely, the weather had practically made an 180 degrees turn, making the days less hot and a touch colder to make it seem like spring instead of summer, and the water had cooled down to extremely cold temperatures. One would be crazy to leap into the icy waters now.

Tucking the loose strands behind his ears, Jinn turned on his heel and headed for the Center. But Jinn was so lost in thought, that he banged right into someone when ascending the staircase.

And he would've tumbled down if that someone hadn't grabbed hold of his hand when he nearly fell.

"You alright?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

Jinn looked up, staring into dark gray eyes for a moment, before answering: "Yeah. Sorry 'bout that. Should've watched where I was going."

"Ah, don't bother," the blunette said calmly, putting his hands in his pockets, causing his hair to tumble in front of his left eye. "Oh dangit!" he mumbled, pushing the annoying strands away.

Jinn chuckled a little.

"Hey, just a question, but, do you feel up for a NetBattle?" the blue haired man asked calmly. "I'm rather bored, and I need something to do right now."

Jinn frowned a little, then shrugged his shoulders, and said: "Sure. I was looking for something to do myself anyway."

'Anything to forget about this annoying feeling.'

--

"Plug in! Ragnarok.EXE!! Transmission!!"

"Plug in! RedChaosMage.EXE!! Transmission!!"

--

Both Navis warped down into the arena, taking in their opponent. Ragna glared the other Navi down, before raising his hands, as though he was about to grab something in front of him, and within seconds, his lance appeared, and he grabbed it tightly in both hands. 

Red frowned at the gesture, before he finally raised one hand and shouted: "CHAOS SWORD!!!"

First came the outline, before the massive sword had turned solid and was grasped in the Navi's grasp. It curved a little near the end, but not by much, and the handle moved back to just graze over his hands. Red grasped the handle with both hands, and held it in a dueling stance in front of him.

Ragna was unimpressed, and followed the other Navi's example.

--

**__**

BATTLE START

--

Almost immediately, Red was launched at the red and green armored Navi. Ragna easily blocked the swing aimed at his face with his lance, and twirled around his lance. Red's sword moved with lightning-fast speed to block the hit to his head, and started hacking at the other Navi.

Ragna however, easily kept up, and blocked every single hit with ease. Red finally got enough of this game, and caught the taller Navi by surprise by punching him to his jaw. Ragna was sent flying, but he calmly landed back on his feet. 

The redhead watched the taller Navi, who didn't move for awhile, before he raised his head. A small stream of blood came from the corner of his mouth, which was calmly wiped away.

"Ouch," Ragna said, though it was clear by the look in his eyes that he didn't mean it.

Red frowned a little. This couldn't be good.

--

"Red Tsunami!! Slot in!!"

--

Ragna slammed his hand down onto the ground, and within mere seconds, a large wave or red liquid erupted from all around his hand, sent straight at the redhead.

"Oh shit!!" Red cried out in surprise.

--

"Area Steal!! Slot in!!"

--

Red was gone from his spot before the wave could hit him. But the second he reappeared, something crashed straight into his chest, and sent him backward with a fierce shove. When he crashed into the ground, he was painfully aware of a violent pain on his chest. 

The redhead groaned as he sat up, holding one hand to his chest, flinching when he felt the warm liquid pouring from in between his fingers. When he removed it, it only confirmed what he had suspected,

The scar on his chest had been reopened.

Ragna could tell that Red was in pain, but not as badly as Bass had been when he had gotten a lash across his scar. The lash had caused Bass to go into a "coma" of about three hours, whereas others would've been deleted on the spot. Apparently, Bass just had a lot of endurance for deletion.

Red growled a little, and suddenly, the wound healed as if by magic.

"What in the?!" Ragna exclaimed in surprise.

--

"Do you honestly think I'd let my own Navi bleed to death?!" Sol asked over the arena.

Jinn looked up in confusion, but did not respond in any other way, before looking back at his Navi. It didn't really matter that Red could heal himself, because they weren't finished yet.

The duo had a new trick up their sleeves.

--

"Keep your head up, Ragna," Jinn's voice called out.

"Right," Ragna said with a nod, right before a mouthpiece slid across his face.

He rarely used it, but he felt like using it right now. He never used it in virus-battles, but sometimes used it in battles against other Navis. 

Red frowned a little at the sight, before he reached up and pulled down the pointed crystalline visor to cover everything of his face safe for his mouth. He raised his sword, and took on a fighting position again.

They were at each other again within the blink of an eye.

--

"Speed+40!! Slot in!!" both Operators called out at the same time, slotting in identical chips. 

--

Both Navis changed into blasts of colored energy, and slammed into each other multiple times, the sounds of metal clashing ringing out through the arena. With every hit, a blinding flash would follow, and Jinn was the only one standing around who seemed capable of staring straight into it.

Several other people stopped whatever they were doing to watch the battle in awe, unable to believe what they were seeing with their very eyes.

"Ragna! Be careful!!" Jinn shouted out.

"Red!! Trash him already!!" Sol shouted, not bothering with the leer sent his way.

The shorter Operator growled a little, then turned back to the fight.

--

"Ragna! Duck-cover maneuver 12!" Jinn's voice called out.

"Roger!"

Ragna easily ducked under the upcoming attack, and dived aside to avoid the next one, before he slammed headfirst into Red's gut, sending them both sprawling to the ground. Tumbling over and over, until Ragna was below, and sent the other Navi flying over him. 

"RAGNA!! NOW!!

"Roger!"

--

Sol blinked in surprise, unable to comprehend what was going on.

--

"PROGRAM ADVANCE!!!" both Ragna and Jinn shouted at the exact same moment, merging their voices together.

--

"Triple Lance!! Slot in!!"

--

Ragna's free hand suddenly clasped a large trident, though it was completely shaped like a lance.

--

"Triple Spear!! Slot in!!"

--

His own spear suddenly made place for a large spear-shaped trident, and it glimmered ever so slightly.

--

"Tetra Needle!! Slot in!!"

--

Red watched in surprise as the weapons Ragna held in his hands shimmered almost violently. Ragna twirled the lances around in his hands, before slamming them together in front of him. 

The blinding light made the redhead shield his eyes with his arms quickly, even though they were shielded behind the visor on his face. The light was way too bright to stare in with your eyes open.

--

Sol shared that opinion with his Navi, but Jinn didn't even blink, as his pupils simply dilated until they were hardly visible. Sol watched the other Operator, frowning when he noticed the younger boy didn't squint at the light.

--

"HYPER-LANCE!!! ACTIVATE!!!" the duo screamed as a rather large lance formed in front of Ragna.

Red gulped a little, the only thought running through his head: 'Uh-oh…'

Ragna's eyes narrowed, before the lance was released from his grip and sent soaring straight at the redhead.

--

"Oh shit!" Sol exclaimed, before pulling a chip from his pocket. "Dream Aura!! Slot in!!"

--

The aura surrounding Red gave him a small sense of reassurance, but that surely didn't last long. This was one of the newest, and strongest, PA's around, and it burned straight through the aura. The blast slammed straight into Red's chest, sending him flying back with a yowl of surprise and pain.

His sword clattered across the ground for a few seconds, before it dissolved. Red shook his head drowsily as he sat up again, rubbing over his aching chest with one hand. 

"Ow," he mumbled, standing up. "I'm starting to think you don't like me," he joked a little, smirking slightly through the pain.

Ragna frowned and pulled out his own lance again.

"And what gave you that idea?" Ragna mumbled. 

Before Red could either respond or heal his wounds, whichever he'd been planning to do, Ragna's lance had lashed out across his chest again, making the dark cyber-blood pour from the wound like crazy.

--

Red screamed at the pain, and Sol's hand shook as he watched the taller Navi lash out again and again at his own. Sol nervously bit on his nails for a moment, before an idea suddenly popped up in his head.

"Red!! Aqua Elementral!! NOW!!" he shouted.

--

From behind his visor, Red's eyes sparked a pure green for a mere second, before he leaped up and into the air. Ragna watched in surprise, and Jinn in slight curiosity. 

Data started to surround the redhead, but Red seemed not to care, as he simply allowed the data to attach to his armor, forming a total new look. A set of swimming-like fins sprouted from Red's back and forearms, and on his legs formed a set of mini-turbine jets filled with what seemed like water. Not much else changed, safe for that his armor shifted into one certain shade of blue.

Finally, Red dropped back onto the ground, easily landing in a crouch, before he stood up again. 

"Let's end this," he said resolutely.

Ragna frowned at the other Navi, then nodded and got into a battle-position.

"For once, we agree."

Red's fist clenched, and suddenly, he made a punching motion, and his arm suddenly shifted into a large stream of water. Ragna yelped, but jammed his lance in the ground, and within seconds, he was launched into the air as his lance extended.

The redhead's eyes followed the other Navi's move, and he frowned, pulling back his arm. The jets hummed to life, and within a second he was also airborne, and crashed straight into Ragna, headfirst. 

Problem was, they crashed headfirst against each other, both of them.

Both Navis dropped back down, clutching their aching heads.

"Damn! What the hell are you made off?! Titanium!?" Red demanded, rubbing over his head.

"No, data," Ragna said sarcastically.

--

Jinn chuckled and Sol smirked a little.

"They can't stand each other, huh?" Sol asked.

Jinn shrugged his shoulders with a shake of his head. 

--

"Red! Let's finish this already!!"

Red nodded plainly, and suddenly pulled out a Buster-Cannon. After taking aim quickly, he fired. Ragna easily avoided the blast, and was quite surprised, when it encased a rock behind him in a massive barrier of ice. It reminded him of the effects of the Freeze Bomb chip.

But Red wasn't about to give up. His arms shifted into water again, before they morphed into massive hammers. Red screamed out as he slammed them both against the ground, sending massive shockwaves through the Net, and shattering multiple panels as they went.

Ragna frowned and once again slammed his lance into the ground, but this time a little diagonally, so that he was sent soaring across the other Navi. Red saw it a second too late, before the staff of Ragna's lance slammed down roughly on top of his already sore head.

"OW!!!!" Red screamed, grasping his head in his hands, just before Ragna's lance slammed into his stomach, making him double over in pain.

With one more hit, the redhead was sent flying, and he crashed into the ground face-first.

Ragna finally pulled out his own Buster and hurriedly blasted a massive pelt of plasma at the other before he could have a chance to get up.

--

"PLUG OUT!!!" Sol shouted, and Red dissolved into the blue words "LOG OUT".

Jinn looked up in surprise as Sol gave a soft sigh and pulled up his PET.

"Sorry, Sol," Red said quietly.

"Ah, don't bother, Red!" Sol said plainly, before placing his PET away again.

Jinn plugged out as well, and put his PET in its holster again. 

Sol approached the shorter lad, and said: "That was a mighty good battle back there, kid."

"Thanks, I've been practicing with Ragna a lot. That and my friend Mike offered a little help," Jinn said casually.

At the mention of Mike's name a sudden surge of recognition flashed through Sol's eyes, but it was so miniscule, you could've easily missed it.

"Aha," the blunette said calmly. "Anyway, I should get going, I might see you later, alright?"

The two men shook hands for a moment, before Sol left the arcade.

--

Once back on his hotel room, Jinn pulled out his PET, and set it into the recharger. Ragna's face popped up on the screen, and light green eyes looked up at him casually.

"Talk about a way to get your mind off of things, huh?" Ragna said calmly.

Jinn chuckled and said, placing his hands in his pockets: "Tell me about it. …Huh??"

The blonde pulled out a strange disc, one that hadn't been there before. On the disk was a thin crucifix, pierced through the center of an omega emblem, of which the top stopped just below the horizontal line. The emblem was unfamiliar to Jinn, and he studied it from all angles.

"What is that??" Ragna asked in confusion.

"I don't know…" Jinn mumbled, before putting the disc into his PC.

What he learned from the single disc, was something he certainly hadn't expected.

--

The moon was nearly full, and the world was already in deep slumber, except for one person, standing quietly in an alley, leaning against a wall. The figure pulled a small cylinder from his pocket, putting it to his lips, and lighting it with a lighter.

Once lit, he put the lighter back in his pocket, breathing in the heavy nicotine from the cylinder. He breathed out again, though it was more like a sigh as the small clouds circled up and around him. He put his head back against the wall, eyes closed in something akin to bliss as the nicotine pumped through his veins, giving him a calming feeling. 

__

Tap… tap… tap… tap…

Soft footsteps told him someone was approaching him.

A soft breath, before he breathed: "You're late."

"Terribly sorry, My Lord. I had several difficulties getting past security."

His eyes opened to look at the figure bowing to him from the waist.

"Rise," he breathed calmly, and the other figure rose calmly. "Have you prepared yourselves? The both of you?"

"Yes, Sir," a digitized voice said. "If we're not ready now, we'll never be."

"Quite true, My Lord. We've done all we could."

He smirked at them and dropped the cylinder to the ground, using his heel to butt it out.

"Then I expect it to go flawlessly. Don't you think?" he asked, still in a breathy tone.

A hesitating pause followed before the other figure spoke again.

"We cannot assure that, My Lord. No one can be sure of what will happen, but we will do our best."

A smirk crossed his face again, and he approached the other figure until he was 3 feet away.

"I have no doubts about that. Because you, are most likely one of the best we have right now."

The figure did not respond for a while, before bowing politely again.

"Thank you, My Lord. I appreciate that you think so highly of me."

"And I have every reason to. Do not disappoint me."

"No, My Lord, of course not."

--

"Your mission is clear, correct?" the darkest of the two figures asked the other, shorter one.

"Yes, Sir. It is. And I will do all it takes to succeed."

The figure grinned a ferocious grin and said: "Good. The Grand Prix is not far away now. We must act quickly."

"Understood."

--

Suddenly, the figure tensed up, and whispered: "Someone's here."

He whirled to the lit street, and could just see an unfamiliar figure sprint of.

"After her!!" he screamed, and the other figure turned and was sprinting after the eavesdropper with speeds unmatched.

--

"CHAUD!!!" Shine screamed as she stormed into the mansion again, her face deathly pale as she rushed up the stairs.

On the next floor, she banged into the chest of the person she'd been searching for.

"Shine?! What's the matter!?" Chaud asked, trying to steady the panting girl by holding onto her shoulders.

Shine's breathing was erratic and her eyes were wide with panic and fear. She could barely speak, that's how erratic her breathing came out. The other whitehead, gingerly led her to the kitchen, and poured her some water to calm down. She gratefully accepted it, and downed the glass in one gulp.

A hiccup was her reward for that.

Finally, she had calmed down enough to speak, sitting on one of the chairs and Chaud sitting across from her.

"X… he's planning something… I don't know what… but it's bad… _very_ bad…"

--

****

Z: Crap… my head hurts…

RCM: Well, maybe you should try to stick with one story for once!

Z: Ugh! That's what I've been trying my whole life!

D. Zero: And by the looks of it, it didn't work. [CLANK!!] OW!! Alright, alright! I'll shut up!!

Z: :( You better!

RCM: Do you two _always_ argue like that??

D. X: Ah, don't bother. They never argue for too long, so it's no big deal.

RCM: Well… okay, if you say so.

Z: Hey Red, did you finish that armor of yours already?

RCM: Whuh? Oh! I'm working on it!

Z: Okay. OH FUCK!!!

D. Zero: Huh?!

RCM: Wha?

Z: CrapshisonofacripeshiiiiFUCK!!!

D. X: Whoa! What was that for?!

Z: Point 1, I felt like it…

D. Zero & D. X: -_-;;;

RCM: Um… right.

Z: And point two, N1-Grand Prix.

RCM: OO!! Crap! Nearly forgot!!

D. Zero: Right. Who's going to fight whom?

Z: Let's roll up the participants first.

D. X: Sure.

Z: Okay! The participants, for the N1-Grand Prix, are:

--

__

Glyde.EXE

GutsMan.EXE

IceMan.EXE

MegaMan.EXE

Muramasa.EXE

ProtoMan.EXE

Quint.EXE

Ragnarok.EXE

Razor.EXE

RedChaosMage.EXE

Roll.EXE

ZeroOmega.EXE

Mystery Navi No. 1 ****

Mystery Navi No. 2

Mystery Navi No. 3

Mystery Navi No. 4

--

D. Zero: The four mystery Navis will be revealed once the N1-Grand Prix begins, as we can't give those away yet.

RCM: Um… who exactly are those Navis?

Z: Oh, Skreegha, Heemab, Rink and Stints.

RCM: oO???

Z: Anagrams! ^^

RCM: Oh!

Z: Anyway, let's go! [beams out in a blast of purple]

RCM: I agree! [warps out in red flames]

D. Zero: Pff.

D. X: Showoffs. 

D. X & D. Zero: [warp out and away]


	25. Chapter IX Part 1: Nightly Outings

****

Z: Alright, let's go loot that Official Center, shall we?

D. Zero: Hahaha.

Z: Shut up, Zero. And why does no one get what I ask?

D. X: No idea.

Z: To those who care, pictures of Muramasa, Shine, Razor and Mike can be found on my art-site! 

------------------------------------

TJ and Rikumon: I was DYING to use that one!! ^^ (D. X: "If only…" CLANK "OW!!") [shakes head] They'll never learn

Navi-Zero: I'm sure a lot of people are wondering what he's up to.

Pyrogirll23: Honestly, do you think I'll tell?

Rumor & the remains of the ERL.: Oh god… Zero, go get Gate, will you? (D. Zero: "Sure." Night. Z: "'Ey, can I…" Z: " NO!!" Night. Z: "Damn!!")

Sol Sabre: I'm doing the best I can, alright?

RCM: Yeah, so I figured. And thanks.

------------------------------------

Chapter IX Part 1: Nightly Outings

"What's taking so long?!"

"Will you shush and let me work!?"

"If we get caught because of you and your Navi, Lord X is going to be mad!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"……C'mon, if I know that guy, he'll be here any second!"

"Oh, for crying out loud! Will you just---"

--

Just then, a click sounded from the door, and all conversations were dropped for the moment.

Red's face appeared on Sol's PET, and he said to the figure beside his Operator: "You've got about 20 seconds to get inside, so please hurry."

The figure snorted and disappeared in the shadows, making for the large building they were at. 

They had chosen the back entrance, near the sea, because that way, they would not be seen by anybody. The entire complex seemed a pitch black in the dark of the night, with the moon shimmering brightly above them. They couldn't afford to mess up this mission though. 

If they did, the results for them would be disastrous.

Twenty seconds after the security had been disabled, it whirred back to life. 

…Or at least, it tried.

It sizzled violently, before it died. Which indicated that part 1 was complete.

"Perfect," Sol whispered. "We're on."

"Right," Red agreed with a nod.

--

"Hey Pyra" the brunette said, looking up from the screen.

Pyra looked up from reading a book she had brought with her, and cocked her head in confusion. 

They had gotten here early in the evening, without anyone's notice, just waiting for those guys from Zahler to show themselves. Shun had already plugged in with Quint to scout the Net, but so far, he hadn't been able to find any flaws or bugs. Sara and Tsuchi were currently patrolling the Center, but they sent a small mail every 15 minutes to let the others know they were fine. And Razor and Sonica were currently busy putting several locks on the Dimensional-Area's data. 

"Are you entering in the N1-Grand Prix?" Mike asked casually, trying to get his mind off of what was happening. 

Pyra frowned in obvious anger and said: "I tried, but durin' the first few rounds, Sonica nearly got deleted by some "angel" Navi. She was way too strong fer us, though I don't like ta admit it!"

Sonica growled a little, and Razor looked at the blonde for a moment, before turning back to what he was doing.

"Oh…" Mike said, sounding a little disappointed. "I had actually hoped to face off with you back there. I'm curious about how strong your Navi is."

Pyra smirked and said: "We _could _check, you know."

"Maybe, but not here," Mike said before Pyra could continue whatever she'd been planning.

"Ah, bloody hell!" Pyra mumbled.

Mike sadly shook his head with a sigh, and continued to type in commands on the computer in front of him. It was tempting, but they had no time to dilly-dally.

He didn't rightfully know when they were going to show up, but it was better to be prepared for the worst.

__

Beep-beep! Beep-beep!

"…Mail," Razor said solemnly, as if he was expecting it.

Mike opened it and simply looked at the short message, before deleting it.

Pyra looked up in surprise, and Shun looked over at him as well.

Mike finally opened his mouth.

"They're here."

--

Red crashed down onto the Net of the Official Center, and opened his eyes to glare across the Net. 

"Skeith!!!" he shouted. "Skeith!! Show up!!!"

The sound of something crashing to the ground behind him sounded, and he whirled around quickly.

"Ah! There you are!" Red said, inwardly flinching at the sight of the Navi standing there. "You know what to do, Skeith. Find the Dimensional Area, and bring it back to the base in one piece. And if anyone dares to stand in between you and your goal…"

Red let it hang, but finished the sentence with a swipe of his own hand past his neck. The other Navi nodded, and the redhead dashed off as fast as he could, sword drawn and ready for action. 

--

"Really, you surprised me by asking for my help!" a voice said from a side-entrance of the Center.

"Will you _shush_!!" the other teen demanded angrily, though very quietly. "If Rei discovers us, before we get a chance to plug in, we're as good as dead!"

The brunette blinked and removed some chocolate brown hair from his eyes.

"How do you know that, Chaud?" Lan asked, a little confused.

"Hikari, just _shush_!!" Chaud hissed angrily.

Lan got the picture for once, and shut up. 

Chaud gingerly peeked around a corner, before he beckoned the other teen to follow. Lan nodded and was right behind Chaud as they ran for the door as fast and soundlessly as they could. Upon arriving at the door, Chaud jingled with the handle, to find the door…

"That's odd…" he mumbled, calmly pushing the door open. "This door's always locked unless there's an emergency."

Lan's face paled almost immediately.

"Then that means they're already inside!!" Mega's voice called out from his PET.

Chaud growled in anger and rushed inside, with Lan right behind him. But what neither heard, was that once they were inside, the door clicked into the lock.

--

A lone figure stood among the controls of the security, PET in hand and smirking coldly at the screens, where he watched the two teens run toward their own doom. It wouldn't be long now.

"Release the viruses," he said to the Navi whom was currently hacking in the Net, while searching for the DA as well.

"As you wish," a digitized voice said calmly, and within mere seconds, hundreds of viruses had been released onto the Center's Net. 

__

Bring! Bring!

The figure blinked, but took the call nevertheless. The scowling face of Sol greeted him.

"May I ask what you just did?" he asked, quite politely, even though it was clear that he was angry.

"Keeping some of our 'friends' busy until we manage to find the Dimensional-Area. They won't attack our Navis, so don't worry about that."

Sol frowned, but nodded and said: "Alright. Let's just hurry."

"Understood. Delete."

"Delete."

--

"Tsuchi! Get your ass back here! Now!! They're here!!" Razor screamed across the Net, loud enough for the Navi in question to hear it.

"Yipe! Sara!!!" Tsuchi shouted to her Operator in despair.

"I heard 'im!! I heard 'im!!" Sara said, and ran back to the others as fast as her legs could carry her.

In the meantime, Tsuchi was on her way across the Net, lashing out at every single virus that suddenly popped up everywhere and nowhere. Luckily, her whip had been upgraded, so it had much better capacities than before. She easily took out all viruses, and continued making her way back to the others. 

But that could take some time.

And never did she notice the dark Navi watching from the shadows, eyes narrowing in anger at the display. 

--

Sara finally stormed into the room, slamming the door shut as she went. After she managed to catch her breath, she joined, Pyra, Mike and Shun at the plug-in ports. She plugged in as well, and pulled her folder from her backpack.

"You're late," Mike mumbled plainly.

"Sorry 'bout that."

--

"Dyna Wave!! Slot in!!"

--

Sonica grasped the large pickaxe in her hands, and pulled back, before slamming it to the ground with everything she had. The wave shot through the panels, and hit 5 to 7 viruses in one go, but it also caused several panels to crack. 

The blonde smirked, then yanked her sword from its sheath, and blocked a swing from a Swordy. She lashed out at the virus, meeting every hack with one of her own, before the virus' sword simply split in half. That being the cue she'd waited for, Sonica lunged and easily deleted the annoying virus.

--

"Air Sword!! Fire Sword!! Slot in!!"

--

Razor allowed both blades to sprout form his arms, and lashed out violently at every virus that dared to approach him. Practically all of them were deleted with a single hit, while others took a little longer, but it still proved to be an easy victory. His eyes were narrowed and sparking with something akin to anger, but it wasn't complete anger, like it usually was. 

Finally the chips vanished and his own swords took their place. He screamed as he lashed downward in an 'X' motion, sending a large red shockwave at a whole horde of viruses. It sliced them into pieces, sending them into deletion before it could even register to them.

--

"Duo Whip!! Slot in!!"

--

Tsuchi grasped her whip by the handle, and mere seconds later, another whip shot from the other side, producing a double-whip. She twirled it around between her fingers, before she lashed out both behind and in front of her, deleting multiple viruses with a single movement. Her movements were violent, yet also composed and calm, which seemed to be really odd for someone in her situation.

When the chip wore off, she continued to lash out again and again, never once stopping to catch her breath. Which wasn't really necessary, but it was just a figure of speech. Because she took out all enemies before they could approach her, she hardly had to bother defending against anything.

--

"Sakugarne!! Slot in!!"

--

Quint grasped the combination between a pogo-stick and a jackhammer that had appeared before him. He easily leaped on top of it, and was launched into the air right before the viruses had jumped him. So now they crashed headfirst against each other. They couldn't even get away from Quint as he crashed back down and right on top of them. They were instantly deleted, and Quint smirked a little.

Finally, he landed back on the ground, the Sakugarne vanishing instantly. He whipped out his Buster and started firing at every other virus that tried to approach him. So, needless to say, he had really become a strong Navi in very little time.

--

"Quint! Tsuchi! We have to finish the firewalls on the DA, so keep the viruses at a distance until we're done!" Razor shouted as Sonica and himself rushed for the DA's data.

"Right!" Quint said with a nod.

"Understood!" Tsuchi shouted.

The duo glared at each other for a moment, though it was hardly visible with Quint, and just stood there for a few seconds.

"Even though I don't like you, we'll just have to live with it for a moment," Tsuchi said.

"For once, we agree," Quint hissed.

"STOP ARGUING AND START FIGHTING!!" Razor suddenly screamed, making both Navis yelp in surprise.

--

Mega's huge fist collided with one of the Garuus that were crowding him. The rest was taken care off with the same expert ease. The now red-armored Navi leaped out of the reign of fire, and charged up, before pulling out his Buster and sending a massive burst of flames at the group of viruses clustered together.

In the mean time, a different red-armored Navi was busy hacking up several other viruses. Proto's face was one of indifference, as he continued to fight without any signs of weariness. With a powerful lash, he easily deleted multiple electric viruses.

So far, so good.

--

"What's up with all these viruses!?" Lan wondered aloud. "It's like they're expecting us…"

Chaud growled and said: "Rei most likely figured out we're here. He's got people of circles working for him."

Lan turned to him in surprise, furrowing his brows in thought.

"How come you know so much about him, anyway?" he finally asked.

Chaud didn't respond, and simply slid in yet another chip for ProtoMan. For a moment, Lan actually thought that he hadn't heard him, and he was about to ask again…

But Chaud cut him off before he could.

"Our fathers were business associates."

"Ah! That explains it… a little."

Chaud didn't bother to respond, his face still controlled and calm, while his mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. His body was on autopilot as he operated his Navi, slotting in several more chips without acknowledging exactly what they were or what they did. 

In the meantime, his mind was light-years away from his current position. Too much was rushing through his head, not allowing him to see beyond the haze in his mind. 

Words from the past began to swim through his head without a warning, practically clouding everything he had ever learned to be true. They praised him, adored him, worshipped him, but also cursed him, insulted him, and abused him, until he thought he would die from the sheer force of those words. They thundered through his head, shaking his mind with enough force to bring down mountains. 

The worst of them all was a simple sentence, spoken without as much as remorse, but instead, with an indescribable anger beyond anything he had ever heard.

__

"Rot in hell, Blaze… that's where you belong… traitor…"

Mentally shaking those thoughts from his mind, he finally focused on what was going on again. Just in time as well, as both Proto and Mega just finished off the last of the viruses. 

--

"Phew! That's the last of them!!" Mega mumbled, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his normal hand.

"About time too," Proto murmured almost inaudibly.

A sudden shadow fell over the duo, and they slowly turned to the source. 

"Guess I missed everything, ne?" the dark armored, gray-haired Navi chuckled plainly.

"Muramasa?!!?" Proto exclaimed. "I thought we told you to stay out of this!!"

"Re-LAX already!!" Muramasa said plainly, raking a hand through her hair. "Shine's still at the mansion. I managed to get here through the UnderNet. Shine doesn't know I'm here."

Proto gave her a ridiculous look, but Muramasa waved it all off for later, saying they had other things to take care off.

--

"Sonica! You almost done?!" Razor asked.

"Almost! I's got ten more seconds ta go!" Sonica called out over the humming of the firewalls.

Razor nodded and finally finished the last of the firewalls, enabling the locks over the DA's data. Exactly ten seconds later…

"Done!" Sonica exclaimed, sighing in relief that they were finally done.

The green-armored Navi nodded to show he heard her, and they stepped back from the data as the firewalls now formed a gigantic barrier around it. It sizzled and sparked violently, and it'd take one major hacker to get through this. This had taken long enough, and they'd done all they could for now.

"Well, le's go help the others, arrite?" Sonica asked with a smile.

Razor did not respond. 

Something was off. Slowly, his eyes scanned over everything, from the firewalls, to the surrounding area. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, unable to locate anything out of place, but still looking. Something told him that this was bad.

And the quiet air only made it worse.

…Wait a second. 

"Sonica, is it just me, or is this place… quiet?" Razor tentatively asked.

Sonica's eyes widened in shock, before she listened carefully. Minutes of piercing silence past, before Sonica gulped.

"This… this's bad… ain't it?"

Razor didn't respond, and tried to contact his Operator.

"Mike! Mike, come in!!"

…No response.

"Pyra-chan?! Wha's goin' on!?" Sonica shouted in despair.

……………

No one and nothing answered them. 

But when a massive tremor rushed through the Net, and two sets of screams were heard, signaling the ending of two Navis' lives, the two remaining Navis had the living daylights scared out of them. Once again, deathly silence fell over them both. Their bodies could hardly move, that's how _scared_ they were of the sudden turn in events.

"_This_," Razor finally mumbled, "is bad."

--

"This can't be right…"Chaud whispered. "It's too quiet."

Lan frowned, looking around in suspense. He could feel in the air that something was going to happen soon. But whatever it was, he didn't know. He just knew _something _was going to happen.

"I know… but what?" he asked.

Chaud shook his head to show he didn't know. Instead he pulled out his PET.

"ProtoMan, be careful. Something's going to happen soon," he said to the red-armored Navi.

"Understood."

"You too, Mega, Muramasa!"

"Roger!"

"Hai!"

--

"Skeith, distract them while I get to the DA-data. Understood?" Red asked calmly, not in the least bother by the dark purple cyberblood that had been splashed all around, before the bodies of the Navis had faced a very painful deletion. 

The blood was everywhere, soaking everything in the deep purple, almost black color. Signs of a struggle were everywhere, and it was clear how the struggle had ended. 

The taller Navi simply nodded, and began to march straight toward his goal. Red watched him go, before contacting his Operator.

"Sol? How'd it go?"

--

Sol ripped off another piece of tape and taped Pyra's mouth, before dragging her into one of the closets along with the three other Operators. All of them had light wounds on the back of their heads, and they'd probably have a concussion before this was over. 

Finally, the blunette closed the door and broke the handle with a simple downward shove. He clapped the dust from his hands and moved over toward the large computer.

"Perfect. Did you find it?" Sol asked.

"Skeith is keeping the last of them busy. It'll take some time, because they put a whole bunch of firewalls on them by the looks of it."

Sol nodded and said: "Then you'd better get started. You know where to find me once you're done."

"I hear ya."

Sol grabbed his PET and rushed out of the room, vanishing into the shadows with the expert of ease.

--

Muramasa suddenly halted in her tracks, sniffing at the air in suspicion.

"Muramasa??" Mega asked, confused.

The gray-haired girl didn't respond, and simply looked around, sniffing the air every once in a while. 

Her eyes narrowed and she murmured: "This… this can't be good…"

Proto looked at her in surprise, but he said nothing as she continued to hold onto her Buster. She had said she didn't feel as safe when it wasn't out.

Finally, Muramasa spoke again.

"…Blood's been spilled… a lot of it…"

Mega paled at what she said, but Proto was more skeptical.

"How do you know?"

"Ch, give me a break! I'd recognize that stench anywhere!" Muramasa scoffed. 

Proto still looked skeptical, but said nothing. 

--

"You should leave before they spot you. If they find you here, all will be ruined," Sol told the other figure with him in the room.

"Must I really?" the other figure asked, almost teasingly.

"Just go! Let us take care of this."

The figure was silent, then nodded simply and left the room without a second glance.

Outside the room, the figure pulled out his PET and typed in a single command, before placing the PET back in his holster. 

He restarted his track, a cold snicker coming from his throat.

--

Razor screamed and lunged out with his sword, but the blow was blocked easily. Razor wasn't one to give up and he continued to hack at the much taller Navi, but it was no use. Whenever he managed to get a hit in, he never seemed to be feeling a thing, or the hits hardly had any effect.

A scream tore from his throat as something suddenly pierced through his right shoulder, before he was kicked aside, choking on thick cyberblood as he felt pain shoot throughout his entire being. He crashed into the ground with a loud thud, still conscious, but barely staying together.

His helmet and hair were already starting to fall apart into loose particles, and his shoulder had also begun to fall apart. The pain continued to soar through his body, not letting him be at all. He choked and coughed out blood and bile that had ridden up from his stomach up to his mouth, disgusted by the filthy taste it left behind on his tongue. 

Blood trickled out from under the brim of his helmet, passing his eyes as he gingerly sat up. His shoulder burned madly, as he could hardly put any weight on his right arm. 

"Razor!!" Sonica's panicked voice called out as she rushed over to him. "Are ya arrite?!" she asked, helping him to sit up.

"I've been hack, cough better…" Razor coughed, allowing Sonica to pull him up to his feet. "You?"

Sonica was in better condition than Razor, but she too was bleeding in several places, and her goggles had been destroyed. She'd need more than a new paintjob when they got out of this one.

Or… _if_ they got out of this one.

"I'm arrite… not me best condition, but betta than ye."

"Geez, rub it in why don't ya?" Razor grumbled, before coughing loudly, sending blood over Sonica's armor. "Sorry…"

"Dun bother…" Sonica said calmly. "But now wha do we do?"

Razor turned to face the slowly approaching Navi, his face grim as blood continued to trickle down his face, into his mouth.

"What do you want, Sonica?" Razor asked softly. "The truth… or a lie?"

Sonica gulped in fear, then whispered softly: "Truth…?"

Razor closed his eyes, and hung his head for a moment, before finally yanking himself loose from Sonica's grasp. His swords slid out from his gloves again, and he raised his head again. 

Pure anger and rage was etched all over his face, and his eyes sparked in fury.

"We fight for every breath we got!" 

--

"What in the?!!?"

"Holy fuck!!!"

"Oh kuso!!"

All three Navis were left staring at the sight sprawled out before them. 

The Net was cracked in several places, and deep purple/pitch black cyberblood was splattered every which way, painting the Net black. The entire place reeked of the blood spilled there, and it was enough to make anyone want to retch.

"This… is disgusting…" Muramasa hissed, swallowing multiple times. 

Mega gulped once, then ground out: "Tell me about it…"

Proto growled in anger, clenching his fist tightly. Whoever did this was going to pay dearly.

"Ano… Proto…?" Muramasa's voice asked, almost hesitantly.

The gray-haired Navi turned to her in confusion, and he noticed she was shakily pointing a little up ahead.

"W-what do you make of _that_?!"

Confused, Proto turned to what she was looking up --- and could feel the color draining from his face.

--

'Perfect, just keep 'em busy a little longer…' Red thought as he began to work on the barrier blocking his way.

He pulled up several screens, typing in commands and making sure not to be spotted by anyone. His fingers practically flew over the 'keyboard', as he continued to type commands that should help him to break down the firewalls.

It shouldn't take him too long, but for some reason, he doubted this was all the protection they put on it. If it was, they were pretty confident that this thing could withstand him.

"What the heck?!?" Red suddenly exclaimed when an error popped up.

He'd never had one of those before.

A smirk crossed his face as he chuckled.

"Hehe, so, looks like you managed to update your skills, eh?" he mumbled to himself.

Red cracked his fingers at the expectation of a new challenge, and his mouth curled upward to form a violent smirk unlike anything.

"No matter. You're still no match to me."

And with that, he started to work again.

--

The Navi suddenly stopped in his tracks, as if he had heard them, and turned to look back, obvious to the fear written on the Navis' faces.

Tall and imposing, the gigantic Navi was almost twice StoneMan's height, with a very angular design, and his whole body designed as a weapon. His dark green and black armor was covered with various blades of all shapes and sizes. His huge hands were clawed, as were his head, back, shoulders, hips and feet, and he had no jumpsuit, like most Navis had, as his entire body was armor. Nor did he have a real face, as it was only a metallic looking mask, complete with three black orbs for orbs, and he had no visible mouth.

In his hand, he held something resembling a large red rapier-sword with a cross-shaped hilt surrounded by rotating. The weapon didn't seem fit for lashing out though.

The guy was covered with a thin sheen of blood, and it was obvious that it was not his own. 

Muramasa took a hesitant step back, as her own resolve seemed to be crumbling under the force of this Navi's stare. She'd be able to withstand Bass, but this was taking it one step too far. But she wasn't the only one.

Chaud, Proto, Lan and Mega were equally scared of this new foe, who seemed just about able to tear Navis apart within mere seconds.

"W-who the hell is that guy?!" Mega stuttered, trying to keep his voice composed, but failing miserably.

"Whoever he is, he's not going to get away with this!" Chaud growled. "We have to wear him out so we can get a good shot at him, so we should distract him until he shows signs of fatigue!"

Muramasa nodded and managed to scrape up what little courage she had left, grabbing hold of her Buster as tight as she could afford.

"Sounds like a plan. Let's do this!"

And with that, the trio was flung into battle.

--

****

Z: Whoo! 175 pages! That's even more than RWTD!! And that has even more chapters than this story!

D. Zero: I'm just surprised that…… uh… never mind…

Z: What?

D. Zero: No, it's nothing.

Z: O_o?? Oh well!

RCM: If you ask me, he was going to comment about something again.

Miri-chan: Nothing unusual there! ^^

Z: By the way people! I need to know who's going to fight who in the N1, so if you've got any ideas, send 'em in and I'll see if I can whip up a few good battles!

RCM: What do you mean with "I'll see if I can whip up a few good battles"?!?! All battles you write are good!!

Z: OO! Red, knock it off!! [blush]

Chibi-chan: Ooooh! You actually made Z blush, Red!

Z: SHUT UP, CHIBIKI!! [whacks Chibi-chan with a frying-pan]

Chibi-chan: OW!!!

RCM: oO?? Well… it's the truth!

Z: Well… uh… ^^;

D. X: Who-boy…


	26. Chapter IX Part 2: Nightly Soul Deletion...

****

Z: Whew! 'Bout time! Oh, and I posted the pictures of Sol and RCM on my art-page. 

------------------------------------

Pyra Akaidra: I'll give you girls one hint, you need to use ALL letters of ALL four words. (PS: You girls forgot Thunder Soul, Junk Soul, Aqua Soul, Wood Soul & Wind Soul.)

Navi-Zero: A lot of people do.

remaine of ERL: ???

Sol Sabre: Jesus Christ! What'd they give you for god's sake?!

ERL survivors: Is that all?? [whistles] Hey guys! Get yer gear and let's rock!! We got a group of monsters to slay! (D. Zero: "WHOOO!!!" D. X: "Kicking!!" Night. Z: Bloody… :)" Z: "You with us, Red?" RCM: "[unsheathes Chaos-Sword] Hell YEAH!!" Z: "Right, THEN LET'S ROCK!!")

TJ and Rikumon: [rubs back of head] Well… uh… Oh, and thanks for the fan-art! ^^

Aori Tsuki: Geez! I'm doing the best I can!!

RCM: Yep. That's Skeith. And don't worry about it. Another thing, I'm seriously thinking that Nightmare's beginning to affect me again, 'cause… Ah dunno wha's the matta, but… GACK!!! DAMMIT!! [slaps herself] Ow! I needed that! Anyway, one of my last drawings was… a little…… well, I'm sure you saw the drawing of Nightmare and Zero. Oh, and about that attention… Ah can do SO much worse than tha! FUCK!!! [slaps herself *again*] OUCH!!

Song the Allmighty Pinabble: Thanks girl. 

DRAGON-KNIGHT4: I'm doing the best I can. 

------------------------------------

Chapter IX Part 2: Nightly Soul Deletions

"Muramasa!! Look out!!"

"ACK!!! SHIMATTA!!"

"Are you all right?!"

"Stop fussing about me and watch yourself!!"

"Yikes!!"

"Chikuso!!"

"At this rate, we'll be dead before the sun will rise!!"

"I didn't need to know that!!"

--

Muramasa jumped out of the way of another blow, the large sword jamming into the ground. Her Buster was out, but she was still charging as she continued to make almost flying leaps away from the large Navi's claws. Because that was what they partially were. The spikes on his hands truly made them seem more like claws than anything. At the same time, she had to avoid every stab from Skeith's sword sent her way. Things weren't looking to bright for them, but what choice did they have than to wait him out?

Mega yelped and dodged yet another blow, while trying to get out of the way of Skeith's every move. But now that he was in HeatGuts Style, it was becoming rather difficult. Every Guts Style was seriously slow, and it would take twice the effort to get away from someone. Luckily, Skeith wasn't as fast as he had thought the giant to be, so that made it slightly easier, though not by much. The Blue Bomber had noticed several hacks and tears across the bigger Navi's armor, but it hardly seemed to faze him. Either this guy knew how to mask his pain very well… or he just didn't feel it.

Proto dodged yet another blow, leaping away quickly. He'd already pulled out his sword, but he was still waiting for the moment the giant would weary. But that didn't seem to be happening anytime soon. This guy seemed to be programmed to work on nothing less that optimum efficiency. He had actually hoped that Chaud's plan would work, but that just didn't seem to be the case. If this kept up the way it did, they were pretty much deleted.

--

"Chaud!!" Lan suddenly shouted, yanking on the door.

"What now, Hikari?!" Chaud ground out.

"Something tells me Rei locked the doors," Lan mumbled as he tried to catch his breath again.

"He _what_?!?!"

Chaud quickly put his PET down for a second and walked over to check the door himself. The result was the same though; the door had slid into the lock.

"Damn it! He was expecting us!!"

"_Very, very clever of you, Chaud Blaze,_" a cold, but all too familiar voice said from the intercom.

"Rei…"Chaud hissed in anger.

"_Jesus fuck, Blaze! How many times do I have to tell you that I refuse to be called that?!?!_" X's angered voice shouted.

"Just what the hell are you after?! What do you think this will achieve?!?!" Lan screamed in anger, finally getting himself involved in this.

A cold chuckle was heard from the speakers, before X spoke yet again.

"_Working with little kids now, eh Blaze? You never cease to amaze me._"

"I'M NOT A KID!!!" Lan shouted in absolute anger.

"Hikari! Knock it off!!" Chaud hissed. "That's exactly what he's trying to do!!"

A slight 'hmm', came from the speakers, before X said: "_So, you're MegaMan.EXE's Operator? I had expected you to be older, for someone taking out both World 3 and Gospel._"

Lan growled from the back of his throat, feeling anger well up inside him. But he tried to keep it inside as best as he could. 

"_And as to why I'm here, I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out for yourself. Because I do not share my plans with wimps like you or Blaze._"

"Chaud, is he always like this?" Lan managed to ground out, angrily.

Before Chaud could reply, another familiar voice spoke up.

"**_You have seen nothing yet, Hikari. But I'm sure you will learn that lesson on your own._**"

"Zero," Chaud said coolly, as if greeting the Navi.

"**_It's been a while, Blaze,_**" Zero's voice rang out. "**_But I have no time to chat. And I'm sure you're busy enough with just Skeith._**"

"_Quite true. It's been nice talking to you. Ciao!_"

And the connection was broken.

--

X chuckled coldly, and picked up a simple object he had brought with him beside the PET resting on his hipbone. Calmly pocketing it, he took a long drag of the cigarette dangling from his mouth, before tossing it to the ground. As he exhaled, he butted the cylinder out with his heel. 

Calmly, he strode out, giving one last pat to the object in his pocket.

--

Once again, Muramasa found herself thrown down to the ground, a bloody tear running all over her face. She whimpered slightly as she put a hand on her face, pain searing through her entire being. How he managed to hit her face, she didn't know, but it goddamn hurt!!

"Muramasa! Are you all right!?" Mega asked as he quickly pulled her to her feet.

"Itai… I'll be fine… I hope…"

The duo broke apart quickly when Skeith's sword almost tore a hole straight through them. The three Navis continued to dodge everything Skeith threw at them, but finally, Muramasa just about had enough.

"Oh! That's IT!!" she shouted after she dodged the up-tenth attack sent her way. "This guy's deleted!"

Her Buster whined in protest upon being charged to the limit, before the charged blast was released. The giant pelt of plasma sliced through the air and crashed into Skeith's chest, sending the giant to the ground with a loud crash.

"Nani??" Muramasa murmured.

"That was almost too easy," Proto mumbled. "Something tells me this isn't over yet."

Just as Proto said that, Skeith rose to his feet again, a large burn-mark where the blast had hit him, but otherwise he didn't appear to be harmed any further. Blood dribbled from the wound, but Skeith hardly seemed to notice.

"What the hell?!?!" Mega exclaimed. "The guy didn't even flinch!!"

Muramasa's eyes were wide in horror. No one had been able to stand a fully charged blast from her and pretend like it's nothing. And Bass didn't count, because he never really faced the blast.

Proto growled in anger and said: "Forget about wearing him out! Let's just delete him!!"

Muramasa narrowed her eyes and gave a nod. There was no way she was going to let this guy get away with this! Mega nodded and clenched his massive fist, ready for action. Because he wasn't planning to lose to anyone, especially to this guy. 

"Let's go!!" Proto screamed, and his mouthpiece slid in front of his face as he did.

"Roger!" Mega shouted, sliding his own mouthpiece in front of his face as well.

Muramasa said nothing for a moment, and watched the entire situation for a moment. She could tell he was trying to prevent them from approaching something behind him, but she couldn't be too sure of what it was. Finally though, Muramasa pulled her Buster back out, and charged it again. 

"Let's do this!"

--

Sonica pulled down her goggles, and allowed it to zoom in.

"Oi, looks like tha demon-girl showed up! 'Long with two red Navis," she stated.

Razor gave a soft sigh, softly shaking his head.

"I should've known Muramasa would somehow get involved in this," he mumbled, before he coughed yet again, sending another gallon of blood onto the ground.

Sonica looked over at her friend, a look of sadness on her face. She called up a scan of her friend, and the results were simply frightening.

--

**__**

Razor.EXE

- HP: 3/679

- Data intact: 1913/8000 TB

- Recommended action: Plug out

--

She knew that much, but how were they supposed to plug out when their Operators wouldn't respond?

Whatever happened to their Operators, anyway?

-- 

Pyra groggily opened her eyes when she heard a dull thud and muffled cursing. The darkness was startling, and it seemed to take forever for her eyes to adjust. 

When they did, she could only vaguely make out Mike, who was now sprawled on the ground, his hands and feet bound together by a single piece of rope and his mouth taped with duct tape. He had most likely toppled over, if the pained expression was anything to go by. But he also seemed determined about something. 

He easily managed to roll onto his stomach, making his legs hover over his body. His back arched and he slowly brought his hands to his feet. Pyra watched in awe as he brought his hands over his feet and lay down on his side. 

After that, he easily managed to sit up. He brought his face to his hands, and took hold of the tape covering his mouth.

"OUCH!!!" Mike screamed as he painfully ripped the tape off.

The yell was enough to make Sara and Shun wake up as well. Mike continued cursing for a while, before he leaned forward and started pulling at the ropes on his wrists with his teeth. Once he had his hands free, he started working on the rest of the rope, freeing himself within a few minutes. 

He quickly freed the other three Operators as well, which didn't take long.

--

"Ow… my head hurts…" Shun whimpered, rubbing the back of his head.

"You'll get over it," Sara stated plainly. 

"Both of you, stop it!" Mike said angrily, looking up from trying to open the door. "Damn it!! Door won't open!!"

Pyra thought about it for a while, then started: "Maybe we coul'---" 

Before she could even finish, Mike's foot solidly collided with the metal door, sending it careering to the ground with a loud crash. 

"…Neva mind…" Pyra finished.

--

Sol growled at the sight of three Navis facing off with Skeith. Even though Skeith was unable to feel pain, he _could_ be deleted. But before that happened, he had to get low on HP, and whenever that happened…

But… there was something different about the girl… what, he didn't know, but something was off. 

"Red, how's it progressing?!" Sol asked his Navi.

"Hey! Don't expect me to do magic! Alright?!?! I'm working as fast as I can!!"

Sol shook his head, mumbling: "Sounds like it's someone time of the month…"

"I HEARD THAT ONE, SOL!!!"

--

"Bamboo Sword!! Slot in!!"

--

A massive sword appeared on Proto's arm, and he quickly shot forward. Skeith was too slow to be able to dodge or block it, so the sword slashed right through his the armor on his side. But Skeith wasn't helpless.

"PROTO!! LOOK OUT!!!" Mega screamed as the spikes on Skeith's armor suddenly lit up.

Before anyone could blink, the spikes suddenly extended, and even Proto dodged most of them, one of them managed to hit him on his arm, thus causing him to scream in agony.

--

"Triple-Lance!! Slot in!!"

--

A sudden thrust to his chest sent Skeith careering through the air and onto the ground with a massive slash-wound over his chest.

Ragna easily landed on the ground, his lance still grasped in his hand.

"Ragna?!!?" Mega exclaimed in surprise. "The hell are you doing here!?"

Ragna straightened up, grasping his lance in both hands, before he answered: "Helping out alright? Sorry if I'm late, but I had to look for somebody. Took me a while to get him here."

Mega cocked his head to the side, but then ran toward Proto. Proto was clutching his injured limb, groaning painfully as thick cyber-blood poured from the wound. Muramasa was already at his side, holding him up to his feet. 

"You gonna be all right?" Mega asked, worried for his friend.

"…Ugh, I hope so. This damn hurts!" Proto mumbled.

--

"Recover 120!! Slot in!!"

--

As the chip was slot into place, Skeith easily got to his feet again, not even seeming to notice the blood now freely pouring from the wound on his chest. By the looks of it, either Skeith didn't have an Operator, or he/she could care less about Skeith. 

Ragna frowned at the towering Navi, and finally contacted his Operator.

"So, now what?"

"What do you mean 'now what'?!?!" Jinn questioned. "We delete him! And _fast_!!"

Ragna nodded and tightened the grasp on his lance.

--

"Are we almost there?!" Lan asked, panting slightly from all that running.

"Let's hope… I have no idea where they're hiding," Chaud mumbled.

Both teens continued to run, both unaware of the dark figure watching from the darkness, a vicious smirk playing on pale lips and eyes sparking dangerously. A hand carefully reached into a jeans-pocket, bringing out a small piece of what appeared to be a chunk of wood. But with a silent click, it slid open to reveal a bloodied Stiletto, still dripping wet.

The grin morphed into a bloodthirsty grin, and within a second, the blazing knife was sent soaring, and crashed into the wall mere millimeters in front of where Chaud's nose would've been if he hadn't stopped in time.

Lan crashed into his back with a yelp, but Chaud's attention was solely on the knife right in front of his face. The sudden appearance of the knife had sent his heart leaping up to his throat, practically making him faint. Because if there was one thing he was _really_ afraid of, it was blood.

He didn't regularly have to face with (much) blood before, the only times of that being either a bloody nose or a simple paper-cut, and it was clear that this blood was from neither. For one, the blood was too thick and black, and secondly, there was just no way to get so much blood on a knife from just a minor cut.

"Holy crap!!" Lan cried out when he saw the knife too. "Chaud?! Are you all right?! It didn't hit you, did it!?"

Chaud was lightly shaking, and Lan was really starting to worry.

Finally though, Chaud managed a shaky nod, and stammered out: "I-I'll be fine…"

In the darkness, the figure pouted almost childishly, but the maniacal glint didn't leave those piercing eyes.

--

Ragna easily aimed his lance and made it extend to about 4 times its original size. But it didn't help as Skeith easily grabbed the weapon in his massive hand, snapping it in half almost easily. 

"Uh-oh…" Ragna mumbled, before leaping aside from a stab of the Nijata, Skeith's sword.

He had to admit, finding the plans to the robbery on the disc had been quite the shock, but to find the plans of Skeith on it as well had been the biggest shocker. And even though he had learned it all from the back of his head, taking him down would take a little longer. But maybe if Jinn's plan worked out, it would be over with pretty soon.

A massive blast of plasma was shot at Skeith, but the behemoth managed to block the blow with the Nijata. 

"Ah CHIKUSO!!!" Muramasa cursed wildly, stomping her foot in anger. "Just what does it take to bring this bakayoro down?!?!" 

"No idea, but I think it'll take some time to find out!!" Mega shouted, bringing up his massive Buster, which morphed into a flame-thrower, and sent a blast of blazing fire at the behemoth.

Now there was something he couldn't block, but he could surely dodge. Proto growled as Skeith easily avoided the blast, and countered the attack with the Nijata. There was no way to injure Skeith close up with those treacherous spikes all over his armor, so how were they supposed to do this?

--

"Wide Sword!! Slot in!!"

"Long Sword!! Slot in!!"

--

Before Skeith could turn around, two Navis used a set of massive blades to slice an 'X' across Skeith's back, catching the behemoth off guard. 

The two Navis responsible easily ran over to where the others were.

"How the hell did you all get here?!" Razor shouted in anger.

"How did _you_ get here?!" Proto countered.

"Eva thought o' usin' the front door?!" Sonica said with a cocky smirk on her face.

--

Chaud frowned, still lightly shaking, as a connection was opened on his PET with Mike.

"Whatever this guy is, he means business, Blaze. He actually had Razor down to 3 HP," the brunette said. "You might want to watch your back. You too, Hikari."

Chaud blinked and looked over his shoulder to see Lan peeking over it down at the PET.

"Okay!" Lan said with a nod.

Mike nodded back. 

"Good luck. Michael Necros, Out."

And the connection was broken.

--

__

Click clunk… kachunk!

X smirked widely, once against placing the object in his pocket. He easily kicked open the door once he reached it, and stalked inside.

The other person in the room wasn't at all shocked to see him.

"Greetings, Sir X," Sol said calmly, not looking up from his hacking on the computer.

"How is it going?" X questioned, the smirk disappearing and a serious expression taking over.

"Red is doing the best he can, Sir," Sol replied. "It's taking longer than we imagined."

X scoffed a little, and looked up at the screen. He blinked in surprise when he saw what was shown.

"What the fuck…??" he questioned and quickly yanked out his PET.

He typed in several commands, and the results had him gaping down at the screen of his PET.

"Sir??" Sol questioned, not liking the way X was staring at his PET.

"Something is _definitely_ not right here! And I'm going to find out what that is!! Activate! Zero Omega!! Transmission!!!"

--

"This can't be good!!" Mega cried out as Skeith was really starting to look bad.

But instead of weakening, Skeith was much like Muramasa and seemed to get stronger with every hit delivered to him. Not even Ragna had managed to get through to him, and Razor and Sonica had also faced severe problems. Muramasa had (voluntarily) taken several hits to make her own strength increase, but it also made her a better target. So they were forced to guard the gray-haired female until she was finished charging her Busters. 

"I'm almost done!" Muramasa suddenly shouted out, both Busters held together to merge the plasma.

"That's good!" Proto shouted. "Because I don't know how long we'll last!!"

"**_Not as long as you think you will,_**" a familiar voice suddenly said, and the dark form of Zero Omega crashed down onto the Net.

"Zero!?" Proto exclaimed in shock.

The blonde was glaring in absolute rage and anger, though why, that wasn't clear. His eyes were burning like a raging wildfire, shining like pools of blood.

"YOU?!?!" Sonica screamed in anger, and she would've hurtled herself at the other blonde if Razor hadn't stopped her in time.

Zero hardly seemed to notice, and instead, continued glaring at the group. Surprisingly, Skeith had actually stopped his assault as well, though the glare from the dark Navi was not aimed his way. 

"What are you doing here?!" Razor ground out, not having forgotten what Zero had almost done.

"Standing," Zero answered sarcastically.

Razor blinked, then rolled his eyes.

"Are you always such a smartass!?" he demanded.

Zero's expression was completely blank as he answered: "When you spend as much time with Sir X as much as I have, you tend to take over some of his habits."

"_Ha, ha, ha. Very amusing, Zero._"

No link was opened with X, but it was not necessary. The guy's voice was bad enough.

But no one noticed a single Navi among the group sporting an almost bloodthirsty grin.

--

"Listen up, Thimoto!" Mike hissed out in anger, his fist clenching his PET almost too tightly. "I am most certainly not thrilled at having been chucked aside like a piece of trash, so if I were you, I'd give me one good reason why I shouldn't just go out and kill you."

"Mike, stop jamming everything in a single sentence already!"

"Shut it, Razor."

X chuckled coldly, a chilling sound to all ears.

"_Your idle threats mean nothing to me. If you really want to impress me, you seriously have to try harder than that._"

Mike's fist clenched tightly, nearly crushing the PET in his hand. A look of pure anger became etched upon his face, and he started growling from the back of his throat. 

A generally smaller hand suddenly closed over his own, and Mike whipped his head around to stare at Sara, the one responsible for the simple act. She softly squeezed his hand, telling him without words to remain calm. 

The brunette gave a small nod, and loosened the death-grip he had on the poor PET.

"Thimoto, you've go exactly 10 seconds to explain what you want the Dimensional Area for before I rip off each of your limbs and force-feed them down your throat!"

__

That threat was rewarded with silence from both Operator as Navi, both shocked that they knew what they were after. But it surely didn't last long.

"_Fancy threat… but if you think I'd tell a weakling like you what we were planning---_"

Before X could even finish… the sound of a Buster being fired sliced through the air, followed shortly by a scream of absolute pain and agony.

--

The blast of burning plasma tore away at the red armored Navi, making him scream out as he was literally torn apart from the single blast. Before he even had the chance to drop to the ground, he dissolved and formed 6 burning red letters.

--

**__**

DELETE

--

"PROTOMAN!!!" Chaud screamed in despair, unable to believe what was happening.

Every single Navi was left staring in absolute horror at what had just transpired, though with X and Zero, it was more of a strange awe. But there was one Navi that was unaffected.

--

Muramasa grinned evilly and straightened up, blowing the smoke away from her Busters and finally bringing out her arms again, eyes sparking with an almost _evil_ glint to it. 

"Woopsie," she said, the grin never leaving her face. "Sorry about that one."

Razor whipped his head toward the gray-haired Navi in disbelief and anger.

"Muramasa!! How could you do that?!?!" Mega demanded in sheer disbelief, the horror still evident in his voice.

The grin wavered and she blinked.

"Muramasa?? Who the fuck is Muramasa??" she questioned, almost sounding genuinely confused, before realization dawned. "Ah. That must be that 3rd class Navi you're mistaking me for."

Zero blinked, but then his eyes widened in surprise, before a grin spread.

"So _this_ is that special power you kept bragging about?"

"Muramasa" frowned in anger and she shouted: "I DO NOT BRAG ABOUT ANYTHING!!! ALRIGHT?!?!"

Suddenly, "Muramasa"'s entire body lit up, and before anyone knew it, a different Navi stood in her place.

He seemed to be no older than MegaMan, but his face had an X-shaped scar running over his face, and his eyes were a piercing bluish-gray. From the back of his helmet came a spiked mass of orange-red hair, two caps on the side of his helmet moving back with two yellow plates resting on his cheeks. His entire armor was a deep bluish-gray, much darker than his eyes, with blood red race-strips running over it. From the pack on his back came a set of heavy-looking twin-spikes, arched downward. Instead of a Navi-Symbol, the Navi had a piercing mist-colored crystal resting on the center of his chest and one on the area of his helmet that overlapped his forehead. The shouldercaps were slightly pointed and aimed to the side, with two yellow caps just at the joint under his shoulder. The jumpsuit was a much lighter shade than his armor, and the gloves on his armored arms were light bluish-white.

"But yes," the Navi stated with a smirk, placing his hands on his hips casually. "That _is_ just about the best technique I have."

Ragna blinked in surprise, unable to comprehend what was going on, but then…

--

Red let out a loud whoop when the last of the firewalls crumbled to his will.

"I did it, Sir X!!"

"Perfect!!" X said. "Now get the data out of there! I'll keep those fools busy enough."

"Sir??" Red asked in surprise.

"Just watch…"

--

"This was jus' a _distraction_?!?!" Pyra screamed in anger.

Lan and Chaud had finally managed to make it to the control room, but at what cost?

Chaud, having figured out he could actually get ProtoMan deleted in this situation, had made a backup of his Navi just before leaving the mansion. He worked as fast as he could, but it just didn't seem to help anything.

"This is just PERFECT!!!" Sara cried out in despair. "My Navi actually got deleted for _nothing_!!!"

"Sara… calm down, alright?" Mike said gently.

The girl in question fumed silently for a while, before she let out a shuddering breath. 

Shun softly shook his head, unable to believe that they had failed. This shouldn't have happened. They should've been able to stop them from continuing whatever they were plotting. But looks like they failed in that department.

"Now what do we do?" he asked softly.

Mike thought for a second then, and, seemingly coming to a conclusion, turned to Chaud.

"Blaze, you said you know X a little better than the rest of us, right?" he asked calmly. "Where do you suppose he'd be?"

Chaud looked up from what he was doing at Mike. 

"Knowing him, the surveillance room, how so?"

"Because I have a threat to hold up!" Mike hissed, cracking his knuckles. "So, mind showing me the way?"

Chaud's brows furrowed and he nodded plainly, saying: "Gladly."

But just as they turned to leave…

--

With a loud ringing sound and a massive crash that made the floor vibrate from the force, the door was slammed down to the ground, kicked in from the outside. Before anyone could even twitch, a pale hand was raised with a single swift motion, and a seemingly loud bang echoed throughout the entire room as the object grasped by the hand shot out the single item it could let out. It sliced through the air with speeds unmatched as the light glimmered off of its surface… before it finally reached its goal.

A choked gasp came from the whitehead's mouth, as his eyes widened to almost twice their normal size. The color began to drain from his face as thick red blood began to trickle past paling lips, a sickening color against the white of his skin. Heavy coughs followed, sending the even darker blood from a now almost clogged up throat, sending it flying to the ground.

His knees began to buckle under his body's weight, as he tried to stay upright, but found that he couldn't as he dropped, his arms wounding around his waist to try and stop the bleeding wound in his stomach. The thick, dark black blood poured uncontrollably from the wound, and his body had started to shake in absolute pain and agony.

Faintly, he could hear a digitized female voice screaming in absolute terror, as the tremors of his body grew more violent. The coughs became harder, making his body shudder and shake even harder, before his body slowly stopped moving. He could do nothing about it as his eyes rolled back into his head, and his body fell face-first to the ground.

The blood began to pool over the marble tiles, dying them a deep red and black. And no matter what… the blood continued to spill…

Always spreading…

Never ceasing…

Always…

And…

Forever…

Spreading…

--

****

RCM: OO!!! Zeal!! What the hell's the matter with you?!?!

Z: I DON'T KNOW I DON'T KNOW I DON'T KNOW!!! [wails]

D. Zero: :( [clocks RCM]

RCM: OW!!!

D. Zero: 'Ey!! Stop making my sis feel bad!!! [pulls Zeal in a hug] Ssssh. It's alright, sis. Dun worry already.

Z: [sniffle]

D. X: Oh god… [turns to reviewers] Listen people. If you guys want Chaud and Proto back, I suggest you send in who has to fight who in the N1. I'm sure it'll make Zeal happy and more willing to continue. [looks over to Zeal] And a little less distressed.

RCM: [rubbing sore head] Ow… you want me to check her for the Nightmare Virus again?

D. X: I think that's a good idea. But you should wait until she's calmed down. Trust me, if there's one thing worse than Zeal when she's mad, it's Zeal when she's distressed.

RCM: Oo;;; I'll take your word on it then.

D. X: Good. And so should you guys! [points accusingly to reviewers]

RCM: Hey!!

D. X: Not you!!

RCM: Oh… okay.


	27. Chapter IX Part 3: Nightly Soul Unisons

****

Night. Z: [yawn] Bloody hell…This's DULL!! Ta those tha even read this, yeah, it's me 'gain! But ya'll brought this 'pon yerself. N E way, reviews.

------------------------------------

TJ and Rikumon: Thanks mates.

Serenade DS: Tha's yer problem. 

Red: Sure.

Song the Allmighty Pinabble: [frowns, then closes eyes] If ya were mah friend, ya woul'n't've lied ta me. If people lose interest in a story, I dun care 'bout tha. [opens eyes again and glares in anger] But Ah can't stand lies!! Ah've had more than 'nough o' those!! If ya lost interest back then, ya shoul've jus' told me!! …………Why do Ah even bother? Not like ye'll be readin' this. Well, Goodbye.

Pyra Akaidra: Ah'm supposing ya got the mail Ah sent ya? Oh, by the way, if Ah gotta believe that Rea… Rea… SOMETHING… this chap's 'posed ta make ya go crazy.

Sol Sabre: [smirks] Ah was startin' ta miss ya! Oh, 'n' dun worry, there's gonna be a WHOLE LOT more blood ta spill while Ah'm 'round! :)

DRAGON-KNIGHT4: Well, ya tend ta ge' good if ya've been writin' fer nearly yer whole life.

------------------------------------

Chapter IX Part 3: Nightly Soul Unisons

"Son of a bitch!!!"

"Name calling won't do you any good."

"Oh I plan to do a lot more than just that!!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Too bad you're not me then, huh?!"

"You sure you're willing to risk his life?"

"………………"

--

Mike couldn't dare to reply to that. As he looked back at Chaud's immobile form, he knew that X did have a point. Mike might've disliked Chaud, but this was something he wouldn't want to happen to anyone. Even to the likes of Chaud. Even though he disliked admitting it, X was right.

He wasn't willing to risk the jerk's life just like that.

However, the slight pause in Mike's action was all X had needed, and within mere seconds, the brunette was gone from where he stood, his heavy boots crashing against the floor as he ran. But Mike wasn't that mad anymore.

"Lan!! Call an ambulance! Hurry!!" he shouted, surprising Lan with the sudden order.

"Huh whuh? OH!! Yes! Of course!!" Lan finally said, using his PET to phone the hospital.

"Sara, Shun! Get over here and help me!! The rest of you, keep fighting with your Navis!!"

"I-I hear ya!!" Pyra said, finally able to move again. 

Sara and Shun quickly hurried over to where Mike was bending over next to Chaud, searching his back for an exit wound. But he found none.

"The bullet must've latched onto something," Mike hissed softly. "It has to go, _fast_!"

--

Neither Zero nor the other Navi joined in with the fight against Skeith as the behemoth once again began the assault on the group of Navis. Things were much harder now that they had lost two of the best Navis they had to offer. They might've not admitted it out loud, but Muramasa and ProtoMan were really some of the best next to MegaMan. 

Zero chuckled slightly as Mega tried to fire at Skeith again, but failed miserably.

"You think this is funny, Sir?" the other Navi asked, a little curious.

"Don't you, Axl?" Zero countered instantly.

Axl said nothing for a while, then turned his gaze back to the battle. 

"Had I been in their shoes, I would've…"

"Deleted Skeith without that much trouble," Zero finished Axl's sentence, catching the smaller Navi off guard.

Axl frowned for a moment, then turned away to the battle again.

"I guess…"

"…But as it is, you'll both be deleted by us."

Both Navis froze up at the voice suddenly ringing out from behind them, and ever so slowly turned around, bringing them both face-to-face with a set of menacing Busters.

"…Oh crap. I hate déjà vu's…" Zero mumbled.

--

"Triple Spear!! Slot in!!"

--

Ragna grasped the lance in both hands, his expression determined and ready for action. He twirled the lance around between his fingers, before he reared back and finally sent it soaring through the air. Skeith was too busy trying to fend off Razor and Sonica to notice it coming. 

The spear hit home, crashing right into Skeith's shoulder, and also making him halt in his tracks in surprise. 

"MEGA!!! NOW!!!" Ragna shouted to the red armored Navi.

Without a second thought, Mega brought up his massive Buster/flame-thrower, and sent the blast of fire at the behemoth. Once again, there was no way Skeith could've dodged.

--

"Uh-oh…" Sol mumbled, checking Skeith's stats. "This is _not_ good."

Skeith's HP had now officially dropped to below the good-bad limit. But Sol was only partially right with his assumption.

This was a fucking disaster!!

--

Skeith suddenly roared in absolute rage, catching every Navi by surprise. But Ragna seemed more shocked than anything. 

"Oh shit!! He's going berserk!!" he shouted.

"He's going _what_?!" Razor asked, not having heard him over Skeith's roar.

"Berserk!! Meaning he's completely lost his marbles and he won't stop until--LOOK OUT!!!"

The cross-shaped hilt of the Nijata lit up briefly, before a gigantic amount of energy was released. It formed a large purple shockwave, and was sent careering to the group of Navis.

There was absolutely no way to dodge as the shockwave tore through panels and finally crashed straight into them. Each of them screamed out as they were sent to the floor, writhing in pain as the blast practically deleted them on the spot. Everyone of the group was just hanging on by a thread, struggling to survive. 

"Ow…" Sonica mumbled. "Tha smarts!!"

"Ugh… You're telling me…" Razor said, wincing at the pain shooting through him as he tried to sit up. "What the fuck was that anyhow?!"

Ragna panted as he pushed himself up again, trying to ignore the pain as he hissed out: "Chaos Ruin."

Mega didn't even say anything as he pushed himself up again, using his huge arm as leverage. He was the first to be able to get up to his feet, and he glared through one eye at the behemoth, the other having closed in pain. 

"Mega!!" Raga suddenly called, making the red Navi turn his head in surprise. "Skeith can only last in berserker mode for two to three minutes. If he remains in berserker mode too long he'll be deleted!"

Mega looked seriously shocked, but Ragna couldn't speak anymore as he dropped to the ground, dissolving into the words "LOG OUT".

"Ugh…" Razor finally gave up and dropped back to the ground, closing his eyes as he, too, dissolved into the two words.

Sonica just managed to rise to her feet, but it didn't last as she dropped to the ground and also dissolved into the words that saved her life.

--

"I'm sorry, Jinn…" Ragna said shamefully as he was returned to his PET.

"Don't bother, Ragna. It's up to Mega now."

--

"Ow ow ow…" Sonica whimpered softly. "Tha really hurt!!"

"Calm down, Sonica…" Pyra said softly. "There's nothing we can do about it now…"

--

"Jesus FUCK!! That guy is tough!!" Razor exclaimed in anger.

"Razor! Calm yourself!!" Mike hissed softly. "Lan! You think you can handle this on your own?!"

Lan bit his lip and turned to Mike for a moment.

"Let's hope."

--

"Mega Cannon!! Slot in!!"

--

Mega's normal arm shifted a massive Buster-cannon, and he raised it quickly before Skeith would be able to react. He sent the blast flying, but surprisingly, Skeith dodged it. Looks like Skeith's speed increased as well, and that could make this battle a whole lot harder. 

Mega hadn't expected help to come, so he was greatly surprise when it still came.

--

"Hai Kyanon (1)!! Slotto in!!"

--

The heavy accent of the person slotting in was more than enough to indicate who it was, but it still came as a major surprise. The blast surged through the air, and before Skeith could avoid, the blast crashed hard against the side of Skeith's head, making it snap to the side momentarily.

"YOSHA!!!" Muramasa shouted.

"Muramasa?!" Mega questioned, confused.

Muramasa smirked and gave Mega a small salute, saying: "Konbanwa blueberry!"

"Blueberry?!?!" Mega exclaimed in surprise.

"Later, LATER!! I think we've got something else to take care off first!"

--

"Waido Soudo (2)!! Slotto in!!"

--

Muramasa's right arm instantly morphed into a massive Wide Sword, and Skeith frowned in anger. 

"Be careful!!" Lan shouted. "This guy's a killing-machine!!"

At that, a small link was opened with a very familiar whitehead. 

Shine smiled and said: "Then I'm glad Navi's can't be killed."

Lan smiled upon seeing Shine's face. He'd first had a rough suspicion that this wasn't real either, but looks like it was.

Skeith suddenly roared again and Nijata lit up. Muramasa's eyes narrowed and a small smirk played on her face.

--

"Eria Suchiiru (3)!! Slotto in!!"

--

Before the shockwave even reached her, Muramasa had already vanished. Skeith was about to look around, but he hadn't noticed that Mega had moved before it was too late.

Mega's massive fist collided solidly with Skeith's jaw, and it sent him back quite some feet. A roar of agony tore from the behemoth's throat when a sword suddenly lashed out across his face, making blood flow freely. Muramasa leaped back, using Skeith's face as a stepping stone, and landed beside Mega in a crouch.

"Just a question," Mega said, making Muramasa look at him curiously. "Just how did you get here??"

Muramasa smirked wickedly and said: "I got a ride."

That was about the time that Skeith managed to get up again.

"Yosh. Let's get to work!"

"Right!"

--

"Will this work?" Sara asked, pulling out a set of tweezers from her bag.

Mike looked up from cleaning Chaud's wound, and gingerly took the object from the girl's hand.

"I'm not even going to ask…" he mumbled. "Help me get this shirt off of him."

Sara nodded and helped to get Chaud to sit up, so they could slide the shirt off of him. They had discarded the vest beforehand, so the shirt was all that remained to cover up the wound. Once that was taken care off, Chaud was placed back down on the ground.

"Sara, Shun, keep him steady while I try to get the bullet out. Pyra," Mike said, turning to the other brunette, "make sure he keeps breathing."

Pyra gave a nod and hurriedly came over to the rest of the group. Lan watched her go for a moment, before turning back to his PET. The ambulance wouldn't be there within the next ten minutes, and Chaud might die in the meantime. This was just something that had to be done.

--

"Shine! Do you happen to have a 'Fist' chip?" Lan asked.

Shine quickly searched her folder, then nodded.

"Hai, I do."

"Then let's do this!!"

"Yosh!!"

--

"Gold Fist!! Slot in!!"

"Buronzu Fisuto (4)!! Slotto in!!"

--

Both Navis' right-fists morphed into a set of massive fist, one gold, the other bronze. Mega smirked a little and looked at Muramasa from the corner of his eyes. Muramasa did the same, and gave a short nod.

Skeith growled, and finally roared in anger again. As if by some unspoken agreement, the two smaller Navis shot from places, their massive fists clenched near the sides. And Skeith didn't have the chance to block either of them as their fists crashed against his jaw and in his stomach.

Both hits sent him flying, before he crashed into the ground again.

--

"Zero!!" X shouted. "That's enough!! Plug out!! NOW!!"

Zero choked on blood, trying to block the other Navi's blade, before he managed to choke out: "Y-yes, Sir."

The second Zero plugged out, the dark Navi's attention was directed to the remaining Navi. The much smaller Navi yelped and plugged out almost immediately.

The dark Navi rolled his eyes and shook his head with a knowing smirk on his face. Finally, he turned to face the other battle still underway.

'Hmm?' he thought, noting that Skeith was starting to look bad, but he became all the more lethal with each hit. 'Well, that can't be good.'

--

"YIKES!!" Muramasa yelped and ducked under another spike shot her way. "Hora!! Isn't this guy supposed to get weaker?!"

"It's the exact opposite!!" Mega shouted, dodging a jab from the Nijata.

"Ah shimatta!!"

--

The two Navis tried to dodge everything, but it was no use. Skeith had simply gotten too strong. 

"Ah kuso!!" Muramasa cursed angrily, leaping aside again. "Now what?!"

"Wish I knew…" Lan mumbled softly.

"MEGAMAN!!! LOOK OUT!!" Muramasa suddenly screamed. 

Mega yelped as he leaped back from another jab, but his heel butted against a loose chunk of rock, causing him to tumble back onto his rear.

"Ow!!"

"Shimatta!! Look out!!"

Mega's eyes widened in fright as the Nijata was sent careering down straight at him. But before it could hit, a burst of plasma sent the Nijata flying from Skeith's hand. It was sent spiraling through the air, before it crashed into the ground almost 12 feet away.

Muramasa finally released the breath she didn't know she'd been holding, before she growled and whipped her head around.

"What took you so long?!!?" she demanded angrily.

"…Keep your shirt on, girl," Bass mumbled calmly, blowing the smoke from his Buster.

"Bass??" Mega asked in surprise.

Muramasa quickly yanked Mega to his feet and away from Skeith just as the behemoth's fist crashed on the place Mega had been seconds ago.

"Hai, he's the one who got me here."

"What!?" 

"…Let's discus this at a later date."

"Huh?! Oh! Right!!"

--

"I got it!!" Mike's voice suddenly called out, and Lan turned in surprise.

Mike was now studying the bloodied bullet stuck in-between the tweezers, and a relieved smile had made its way to his face. Sara and Shun were smiling brightly, and Pyra smiled ever so slightly, not ceasing in her attempts to keep the whitehead breathing. 

Lan allowed a smile to grace his own face as Mike proceeded to pull out a first-aid kit he (apparently) carried with him. The younger brunette finally turned back to the battle.

"That bastard's going down!!"

--

Muramasa quickly raised her Buster, and fired several shots of plasma. But Skeith dodged all of them.

"Kuso!!" the young girl cursed silently. "This is NOT going to end well!!"

"You're telling me!!" Mega mumbled under his breath. "If Proto was here we could've won…"

Muramasa turned to him, having heard him mumble.

"Nani?? What do you mean?"

"Cross Fusion with Lan enabled Soul Unison for me. It makes me merge with other Navis," Mega explained her as they continued battling Skeith. "Whenever I need to protect a Navi, or the other way around, it somehow makes us merge."

"Souda… and you're saying Proto could do that with you?"

"Usually, Lan took the Soul Unison chips with him. Those enable me to use it while the Navi's not around… but we never counted on a battle this intense… so…"

"You didn't bring 'em."

"…Kind of," Mega mumbled.

"And what does that make you?" Muramasa asked in agitation.

"An idiot??"

"Exactly!" Muramasa cried in exasperation, before she had to duck under a swipe from Skeith's hand. "SHIMATTA!!"

Suddenly something began to slot into place in her mind. For a moment, her gaze was averted to the black figure avoiding each hit from Skeith while trying to find an opening somewhere. 

"Souda…" she drawled softly.

Once again, Muramasa leaped aside to avoid another blow. But as she landed, her mouth formed a small 'o' and an odd whistle burst from her lips. 

Bass easily managed to hear it, even over Skeith's roar, and he had vanished from his current spot almost the second the sound stopped, only to reappear beside the gray-haired girl.

"…What?" he asked, a little annoyed at being interrupted.

"Listen carefully, I've got an idea."

--

"Mini Bomb!! Slot in!!"

--

A small blue bomb appeared in Mega's massive fist, and the red armored Navi threw the boll straight at the large behemoth that was Skeith. As expected, the blow hardly did anything to the massive Navi, but Lan was starting to run out of good battle chips.

"Lan!" Mike's voice called out. "If you can't win, just plug out!!"

"Forget it!!" Lan hissed through clenched teeth. "I'm NEVER going to give up just like that!!"

Mike said nothing in return.

--

Lan might've thought that way, but the way things were starting to look, plugging out would've indeed been the best option.

Mega cried out in pain as he was knocked to the ground, with such force, that he could no longer stay in his HeatGuts-Style. For quite some time, Mega couldn't find it in himself to raise himself to his feet again. His body was just not in any condition for anything off the kind. 

"Ow…" Mega moaned quietly, finally pushing himself up with his arms. 

Skeith had somehow managed to reclaim the Nijata, and the Navi was once again untouchable, without getting yourself deleted, that is. 

This… was bad.

Mega was literally shaking in fear when the Nijata was sent crashing down straight at him, and he had become completely immobile. Too scared to even twitch.

--

"MEGAMAN!!!" Lan shouted in despair.

--

But before the sword could reach its destined target, two white-gloved hands slapped together right near the tip, making it stop mere inches from the black and gold Navi's sharp nose. Two orbs of burning crimson shimmered with anger and hate as Bass continued to keep the blade in between his hands, but it was starting to burn the gloves away. It wouldn't take long for the sword to reach his skin.

"Get the hell out of here," Bass hissed to Mega, not averting his gaze from Skeith's.

Mega was gaping in shock, and he really wanted to run… but he just couldn't let Bass take this guy on alone!! Whether he was an Independent Navi or not!

"The hell?! You can't be serious about taking him on by yourself!!" Mega screamed, his anger fueling him so he could scramble up to his feet again.

"JUST GET OUT OF HERE!!!" Bass screamed, but whether it was from anger, or from the pain as the sword finally dug into his bare hands, Mega didn't know.

"NO!!!" Mega screamed, and blindly reached out, grabbing hold of the dark brown poncho Bass wore.

A choking sound escaped Bass' throat as he was viciously yanked backward, his hands releasing the sword and causing it to crash into the ground where Bass and Mega had been seconds ago. But Bass' momentum sent him crashing straight into the Blue Bomber, making both of them groan at the force that made them slam together.

And that was exactly what did the trick.

--

Both Navis began to glow brightly, and data began to stream all around them. None of the Operators or the other Navis present were able to stare straight into the light, and they were forced to shield their eyes with their arms. 

Bass broke apart into nothing but light, which shot straight against Mega's Navi-Symbol. The light began to expand, and all too soon, it had already finished.

--

Mega lightly shook his head as he straightened up almost casually, adjusting the poncho tugged snugly around his neck and covering his face up to the nose. Arching back atop his head were two large golden fins, on the center of his forehead, was a star-shaped blue gem, and running over his face, starting under his eyes and ending at his chin, were two deep purple lines, following the curve of his cheeks. His entire armor was a pitch-black with dark-purple race-stripes running over it. His Navi-Symbol was sliced straight through the line, pulsing like it still hurt, though it hardly did. His gloves and boots were now a wondrous gold and white, and the shoulderplates were the same shade of gold.

Finally, Mega opened his piercing emerald green eyes set in a fierce glare of pure anger.

--

Muramasa whistled in wonder, smirking wickedly.

"Kala… now _that's_ an impressive Soul Unison!"

--

"Holy…" Lan whispered, unable to believe what had just transpired.

But the prove was in the putting.

--

Skeith wasn't as impressed though. The behemoth roared again and sent the Nijata down at the other Navi.

But Mega vanished before it could even get close to him. And before Skeith could do anything about it, a massive burst of plasma hit him straight to his back, sending him flying. 

Mega watched in some sort of cold amusement as Skeith crashed into the ground, his menacing Buster still smoking from the shot he had fired. Without a second thought, he brought up his second arm, morphing that one into a Buster as well. 

The massive amount of plasma shots was something Skeith could've never avoided even if he'd tried. And they just wouldn't stop coming at him. Mega continued to hover above the ground, unknown to himself, his Busters firing what felt like hundreds of MB of plasma at Skeith. But even that did not bring the behemoth down.

"…Looks like it's time to pull out the big guns," Mega mumbled softly, his lips barely moving.

An eerie glow surrounded his arm, as it shifted into something that looked vaguely like a wolf's head. When the glow stopped, it revealed a dark black head with eyes ablaze with liquid fire, sharp manes spiking back in Mega's direction, and enough sparks running over the head to make a Christmas tree see green of jealousy. The wolf opened its mouth, where it gathered more plasma in 3 seconds than Muramasa could in 12.

With a mighty roar of anger, the blast was sent flying.

--

Skeith could only stare in horror, before the blast crashed straight into him. 

The explosion that followed was huge, and before it had even come to an end, Skeith had already dissolved and formed a simple red-lettered word.

--

**__**

DELETE

--

"We missed 'em…" Mike mumbled, staring across the surveillance room, now empty and abandoned.

Mere seconds after Skeith's deletion, the ambulance had arrived, and had hauled Chaud onto a stretcher. The whitehead was now on his way to the hospital, while the rest of the Operators took care of the rest. But Chaud's grip on his PET hadn't slackened once.

The entire surveillance room showed signs of a hasty retreat, but the worst about it all, was that they had been unable to stop Zahler from doing what they came for.

"Damn… I really wanted to kick some butt!" Sara mumbled. 

Lan sighed softly, his fingers still fingering the new chip he now owned. Whether they had succeeded or not, he couldn't be any more glad with his new chip.

"Thanks for your help, Bass," Lan thanked the dark Navi, now separated from MegaMan.

Bass said nothing, his arms crossed over his chest, but he nodded simply, as if saying 'don't mention it'. 

Muramasa cast one glance at the dark Navi, before turning to the other Operators.

"Hora, you guys want Shine and me to head for the hospital? Just in case Chaud wakes up."

Mike nodded calmly.

"That would be a good idea. Thanks, Muramasa."

Muramasa smirked and gave a small salute, before she dissolved into the words "LOG OUT".

Shun looked around for a moment, then said: "Why would they want the Dimensional Area, anyway?"

"I don't know Shun," Lan said truthfully. "But something tells me I don't even want to know.

Bass frowned a little, and spoke for the first time in the past few minutes.

"…What exactly is this 'Dimensional Area'?"

"Oh trust me, Bass," Mike said, looking grim, "if Zahler gets his hands on it, we're dead meat."

"…Then why don't you hack their servers?" Bass asked with a shrug of his shoulders.

Silence fell over them.

But finally, Pyra spoke up.

"Aaaaaand… do ya happen ta know where those are??"

--

"Skeith has been deleted, Sir X."

"……………"

The brunette said nothing, as his fingers typed in several commands. His eyes reflected the letters and numbers shown on the screen before him.

"Sir X??"

"…Clone him. Now leave. I'm busy."

"Yes, Sir."

Silent footsteps padded out of the room, as X continued typing in commands. He had to finish this, no matter what.

He didn't even look up as a hologram was activated.

"X??"

"…Not now, Zero."

"X, you should get some rest. It's been a rough night."

X growled in anger and shot up in his chair, swiveling around in anger.

"Just who the hell do you think you are?!?! My mother?!?!?"

"……Your mother's dead, X. You know that."

"……………………"

Silence.

There was nothing X could say to that. 

For a moment, both Operator and Navi were just staring at each other, seeing so much, yet so little. Zero's burning red eyes didn't burn as much as they always did, while X's eyes seemed to have defrosted a little. It was almost as if the heat from Zero's eyes was seeping into those of his Operator.

Zero slowly moved over to his Operator, and reached out, and, surprisingly, laid a hand on his Operator's shoulder.

"Get some rest. I'll continue this okay. I don't need as much sleep as you do. So just get some rest," Zero said quietly.

X remained silent, but he finally nodded ever so slightly. The brunette turned and headed toward the bed in the corner of the medium-sized room, and practically dropped down onto the bed, the last of his energy spent.

Zero watched his Operator, before the hologram was deactivated. After all, he promised X he would continue work.

And Zero Omega did _not_ lie.

--

**__**

Japanese Chips (This is just for this chapter)

(1) Hai Kyanon = High Cannon

(2) Waido Soudo = Wide Sword

(3) Eria Suchiiru = Area Steal

(4) Buronzu Fisuto = Bronze Fist 

--

****

Night. Z: Whew!!

D. X: Cripes!

RCM: [whistles] Okay, that's better than the last chapter.

Night. Z: Ah was neva plannin' ta kill off the cutie in the first place! ^^

D. Zero: "Cutie"???

Night. Z: 'Ey! Ah can't help't if he's just so damn _cute_!!

Miri-chan: oo;; I'm scared…

Chibi-chan: Me too, actually.


	28. Chapter X Part 1: Planning For The Intru...

****

Night. Z: Dun even ge' me started. :( Ye peeps shoul' be glad Ah'm still workin' on this instead of droppin' it. [mumbles] Ah _hate_ this job!!

------------------------------------

Red: (Chibi-chan: "Well… I doubt you know what happens when Nightmare finds something cute." Night. Z: "--;;" [CLANG] Chibi-chan: "OW!!!" Night. Z: Ah'm not all _tha_ different from Zeal, eh?)

TJ and Rikumon: Oo?? How the bloody hell did he do tha???

You know who: No sweat. Chocolate? [hands out chocolate] These've healin' capacities.

Trinity: [shrugs] Big deal. 'n' Ah'd rather not remember the times Ah'd been lied too. [holds up hands] Had Ah been able ta count 'em on these two, Ah woul've told ya.

Serenade DS: [gape] ……………

Pyra Akaidra: [chuckle] Lita, eh? Arrite. 

Sol Sabre: [blushes] Um… uh… (D. Zero: "Did Sol just make Nightmare _blush_?!?!" D. X: "[gaping]" RCM: "…Someone punch me, I must be having a nightmare!!" Night. Z: "[still blushing] THA'S NOT FUNNY, MAGE!!" RCM: "[grins cockily]")

Navi-Zero: Did ya get the mail Ah sent ya?

ERL: [blinks] Ye act'ally know RCM????

------------------------------------

Chapter X Part 1: Planning (For) The Intrusion

"So now what do we do??"

"We make sure they don't get their hands on the Synchro-Chips."

"What?! How do you even know about those!?!?"

"I have my ways. Anyway, we should head for the Science labs."

"How so?"

"Because I told the Officials to move them to a safer spot."

"_You_ did?!"

"Yes."

--

Mike wiped a stray lock from his eyes. There were slight black circles forming under his eyes, but he refused to give in to the sleep his body desired so badly. Lan could easily tell Mike was about to collapse, and the others too for that matter.

"Why don't you just take it easy for now?" Lan suggested, placing a shoulder on the other boy's shoulder. "Mega and Bass could probably take care of everything."

Mike looked at the other Operator in surprise, blinking a little.

Pyra gave a small yawn, saying: "Well, I know _I'm_ gonna get some sleep. I'm gonna need it. Maybe I'll see ya later, Mike?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, sure," Mike mumbled absentmindedly.

Pyra smiled and left the Center, waving over her shoulder as she headed for the subway. Mike watched her go, simply nodding at her, not bothering to wave back. Sara watched this all, then gave soft sigh. After telling Mike she was going home too, she followed the brunette to the subway. Shun also left, saying he had to re-upload Quint. Mike wasn't the least bothered. He wasn't one to say the night had turned out the way he'd hoped.

And maybe it would be better if he got some rest.

"You know… maybe you're right," he finally said to Lan, who blinked in surprise.

"Huh?!"

"But listen," Mike added, "if you're going to try to stop X, you shouldn't do it on your own. Most likely, he's not going to let this one go the same way the last mission ended. So you'd better be careful. All right?"

Lan said nothing for a moment, but then a grin spread on his face.

"Ah, don't worry about that!" the slightly smaller brunette said. "So, how're you going back anyway?"

"I'll get a cab," Mike said simply, already walking off.

"Hey! Mike!! Wait up!!" Lan shouted, running the short distance to bring him in front of the other.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks!"

"For what??"

"For helping Chaud the way you did. He might be a jerk, but he's not really all that bad. And no one deserves to die like that."

"…No problem."

--

As the cab pulled away from the Center, Mike watched as Lan waved enthusiastically until the cab had most likely left his line of sight. The brunette sighed and leaned back into the seat, resting his head on the black leather.

"Rough day?" the driver asked calmly.

"You can say that…" Mike responded quietly.

__

Bring-bring! Bring-bring!

Mike blinked in surprise, before he reached into his pocket, pulling out a cell-phone. After checking the small screen on the lid, he flipped it open, and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

………………

"He'll live. And stop whimpering like that."

………………

"Heheh. Sure sounds like it."

………………

"Postponed?? Why?"

………………

"All right. Thanks. Ciao."

Mike clicked the cell-phone shut and slid it back in his pocket. After that, Mike pulled out his PET, and began to write a small email to several people.

--

Lan yawned slightly as he headed for the subway himself, some time after Mike had left.

"Lan, maybe you should get some rest too," Mega said worriedly.

"Maybe… but somebody's gotta stop Zahler, right?" Lan mumbled, rubbing at his eyes.

"Yeah, but---"

__

Beebee-beep!! Beebee-beep!!

"Huh?? Hey! It's from Mike!!"

Lan blinked, and hurriedly opened the mail.

--

__

To: Lan Hikari; Pyra Akaidra; Shun Obihiro; Sara Kuki; Jinn Mito; Bass.EXE;

From: Michael Necros

Subject: -----

Night Star Motel, room 983, 2000 hours, tonight.

- Mike

--

Lan blinked in surprise. Unable to understand what was going on, he turned to his Navi instead.

"Hey Mega, do you know what this is about?" he asked the Navi.

"No clue, Lan. But we might as well check it out tonight," Mega responded.

"Alright," Lan said, then thought things over. "Maybe I can ask the others for help…"

Mega simply groaned in aggravation.

--

"Intriguing…" a brown haired male of around 30, 32 murmured, as his contracted purple irises scanned over the information given to him, one hand keeping the tip of the still bloodied Stiletto between a set of teeth. "Whoever designed this was _very_ good with this kind of stuff."

"You're talking about Yuuichiro Hikari," Sol said calmly from his seat on one of the large crates in the room, one leg pulled up as he took apart and put together the gun he owned over and over.

The purple-eyed scientist allowed a maniacal chuckle to come from his mouth as he looked at him from the corners of his eyes. 

He was a smart person, but by just looking at him, it was clear to say that he had positively lost the last of his marbles. His face always held a maniacal grin, even when in the face of death, and his irises were always contracted, while the pupils weren't even visible anymore. A lot of people wondered if that didn't obscure his vision any, but surprisingly, it didn't. Not at all. The dark black rings under his eyes spoke of multiple sleepless nights, and the pale skin indicated that he was most likely always cooped up inside somewhere. 

Nevertheless, the clothes he wore were always neatly taken care off by several people who had to take care of that kind of stuff, so he still looked reasonably presentable. The labcoat hid most of it, though.

"Hikari, you say?" he questioned, the maniacal glint never leaving his eyes as his brown hair was tousled by his uneven breathing. "Wouldn't think him to be the kind to make this kind of thing…"

"Quit marveling at the data and start using it already!" Zero hissed coldly, tapping his foot in annoyance with his arms crossed over his chest.

X was still resting, as he hadn't slept in quite some time. A lot of things were to blame for that, but Zero had no intentions of reliving them all. But he was determined to have the DA ready when his Operator awoke.

"Arrite, arrite!" the man said, clicking the Stiletto shut and placing it in the sheath on his thigh.

He gave it an almost affectionate pat, before he allowed his fingers to fly over the keyboard like the crazy lunatic he was. 

Sol said nothing as he watched the display, his hands blindly dismantling his gun, before putting it back together and starting all over again. It was just something to keep his mind occupied. He owned a gun ever since his child-days in Greece, as no place was safe anymore nowadays. Back then, it had only been for self-preservation, a.k.a. self-protection. 

Now though…

He clicked the barrel on the gun again and gave the metal object one glance, as if it taunted him somehow. He had never aimed it at someone with the intention to kill. And that had been exactly what X had done last night.

Without a hint of hesitation, he'd raised the gun and fired with utmost precision. Determined to make it a slow death, he'd deliberately avoided piercing any organs. Sol was left to wonder what could've made X do such a thing. He knew X would expect him to do the same, but he wasn't all too sure if he'd be able to if he was forced to draw his gun to kill. To defend was one thing, but to kill…

He was roused from his thoughts when maniacal laughter rang out through the room. And that could only mean one thing;

Things were going exactly as they had planned.

--

"Chaud is in a hospital?!!?" Mayl demanded in shock, her eyes nearly bugging out of their sockets.

Dex, Yai and Tohru were equally surprised at the news, unable to comprehend why and how.

"How did that happen?! What'd he do!?" Yai finally asked, feeling fear bottle up in her small body.

Fear for the stoic boy that had become part of their gang so long ago.

"We interfered with Zahler, that's what we did," Lan said, his hands in his pockets as he did.

Anyone who watched would've thought it to be a casual gesture, but Lan did it to stop his hands from shaking so badly. Now that he had little else to occupy his mind, he was really beginning to get worried. He was actually hoping against hope to get an email that would tell him to stay out of it from now on. It wouldn't matter to him, as long as his friend survived.

"Zahler??" Dex questioned, quite confused.

"It's a new Net-Crime organization," Lan explained as calmly as he could. "And they don't play fair."

Tohru seemed seriously shaken, and he seemed ready to cry. Though it wasn't sure why. Or maybe it was.

The gang had always accepted Chaud, but had never tried to get him to open up, or to really join them. But now that he was about to be taken away from them, they seemed to realize how much of a friend the whitehead really was. 

__

Beebee-beep!! Beebee-beep!!

Lan blinked and pulled out his PET.

"Lan! It's from Shine!!" Mega exclaimed.

"What?! What are you waiting for then?! Open it!!"

Mega opened it, but blinked in surprise when he read it.

"It's in Japanese! Just a sec, I'll translate it."

Mega quietly worked on the message for a few seconds.

"Done!!"

--

__

To: Lan Hikari

From: Shine Goldlane

Subject: He's alright

Hi Lan-kun. Sorry I'm writing this in Japanese, but you never know if Zahler can get a hold of our messages now. They're most likely getting suspicious. But anyway, Chaud's going to be alright. He's still unconscious, but the doctors said he's stabilized now. He won't let go of his PET though. I'm doing the best I can to reboot ProtoMan without him waking up, and so far, I'm doing fine. I'm sure he'll be up and about before you know it. Which means I need to keep my eyes peeled. Just in case he does something stupid.

Be careful, Lan-kun. You never know when Zahler's going to strike again.

- Shine

--

Mega had read it aloud, so the entire group breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing those words. 

"Whew… well, that's a relief…" Tohru finally said, holding a hand to his chest. "I was seriously afraid he wouldn't make it."

Lan wiped the sweat from his forehead and said: "I'm surprised too. But I'm still glad he's alright. So, how 'bout we go visit him later on?"

"Good idea!!" Mayl exclaimed with a bright smile on her face.

"We should get him a few gifts as well! Poor guy probably won't get any from "dear old dad"," Yai added, and everyone shuddered, thinking of the last time they met Chaud's father.

Lan finally shook it off and said: "Right, let's find him something then! Last one at Higsby's a rotten egg!!" and he was off, with his friends hot on his heels.

**__**

*Dream Sequence*

"Delta Shira!! Slot in!!"

"Long Sword!! Slot in!!"

--

As both swordfighters' swords crashed against each other, both Navis were sporting almost playful grins as their small sparring-session was becoming more and more hectic as the seconds ticked by. The thin saber crashed against the long purple blade of his opponent, who stepped back to avoid a collision, before returning with twice as much space.

Both Operators were standing on the edge of the arena, each with a folder chucked full with powerful chips lying open in front of them. Most of the chips were all swords, but there were also several cannons and bombs, though they were pushed aside to allow better access to the swords.

Both of them were merely kids below ten years of age, and already, they handled their custom-Navis as if they had been battling ever since they left their mothers. Both Navis had been customized from a standard-Navi, and they had modified them on their own, without the help of their parents. 

The eldest Operator gave the younger one a cool little smirk, pure blue eyes sparking with a challenge as he shouted over the sounds of battle: "You're going down, Blaze!! It's over!!"

The younger one chuckled, closing his eyes a softly, before looking up with a same type of smirk on his face, saying: "Oh, this is **far** from over, Thimoto!"

--

"Proto-Sword!! Activate!!"

"Z-Saber!! Activate!!"

--

Zero screamed as he lunged out at the red-armored Navi. Proto ducked under the blow, before lashing out with his own sword. The blonde smirked, blood red eyes sparking with excitement. Proto's eyes flashed with the same type of excitement behind his shades, making it seem invisible, but it was obviously there.

"You should really give up, Proto! You're bound to lose anyway!!"

"Oh contraire, mon ami. I believe it's the other way around!!" 

Both Navis screamed as they lunged forward yet again, before their swords crashed and shrouded everything in a blinding light.

****

*End dream sequence*

A set of piercing blue orbs snapped open as the dream came to an end, and his breathing had become erratic. Sweat was pouring down his forehead, and he was shaking all over. Weakly, he called out the name of his friend, but it was no use. His voice just didn't desire to cooperate, and he simply lay there, shaking all over as he fisted his hands in the sheets. 

The soft pitter-patter of feet came into the room, even though there was no real way to tell. To anyone else, it would've been inaudible, but to him, it was as clear as day. His right hand tightened its hold, as the one person he hadn't wanted to see was now standing there, glaring him down.

"Father…"

--

With a groan, the young man tossed as sleep began to escape him, making him slowly wake up. Once it had escaped completely, he gave a sigh of displeasure and sat up, popping his aching muscles a little. His eyebrows furrowed when he recalled his dream.

"Damn… I hate it when that happens."

"Master X."

X looked up in surprise to see the holographic image of Axl.

"Axl," X greeted as he stood up, not in the least bothered that he'd slept with his clothes on.

"Master X, Gate has managed to crack the DA's code. The DA is now free to use whenever we please," Axl said.

The holographic version of Axl was at least a good foot shorter than X was, but Axl wasn't the least bit bothered with it. 

X nodded and said: "Very well. But we must plan this better than last time. We can't afford yet _another_ failure on our list."

"But Master X, we did not fail our last mission," Axl corrected, earning him a nasty glare from the brunette. "I-I apologize, Master X. That was rude."

"Quite. Now, let's see what Gate's done this time."

--

The young girl coughed a little, before taking a quick swig of her water. She'd left the room for a moment to get some water. She'd started coughing some time ago, for no good reason, and she needed something to drink to make it go away.

"You're not catching a cold, are you?" Muramasa asked, one eyebrow raised curiously.

"I don't think so," Shine said to her PET, which was still in its holster on her belt. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask. What's up with Bass? Why is he helping us?"

Muramasa shrugged, then, realizing her Operator couldn't see, said: "Rightfully, I don't know. But it's not like I asked him to come to us for help."

Shine nodded, and was about to lift her cup again, when she noticed someone heading toward the exit of the building. Someone who was _very_ familiar. But instead of heading out, he went to the information booth. 

"Muramasa," Shine said, not liking where this was going.

"I know. I'm on it."

Muramasa hurriedly worked with the PET as Shine pulled it out pretended to work with it, while keeping it aimed at the tall man near the counter.

"I'm sorry sir, but we can't allow him to leave just yet. He needs---"

"He needs nothing! He's the best employee I have and he has a job to do! Now!"

"Maybe he does sir, but I doubt he's ready for---"

"Just shut up and release him!!"

Shine, for once in her life, displayed her anger on her face, her eyebrows furrowing and arching downward to form a frown similar to Muramasa's. Deciding she'd heard enough, she placed her PET away, removed the frown from her face and quickly headed for Chaud's room.

--

Gate's fingers flew back and forth across the keyboard, typing in a little around 50 commands within 5 minutes, his deep purple eyes glittering with insanity and crazed excitement. The only other female in the room was tapping her foot impatiently against the floor as her arms were crossed over her chest. 

"Are ya finished?" she asked, her eyes sliding to the edges of her eyes to lightly glance over her shoulder.

"Almost," Sol said calmly, picking up a small ribbon and tying it around the small braid he'd fixed her. "Yep, I'm done."

"Thanks," Ananda said plainly.

"Right! That oughta do it!!" Gate finally exclaimed, tapping in the final button on his keyboard.

The second he did, the entire room almost _exploded_ in a flash of light. Everyone in the room yelped in surprise as they shielded their eyes from the lights.

"What the fuck?!" X cried out in shock as he tried to see what was happening, but unable to see a thing.

--

"So how'd you get him out of here, anyway?" Lan asked curiously.

Shine simply offered a smile and said: "Lan, you _don't_ want to know, trust me."

Chaud chuckled a little at that.

"Better believe her," he said calmly. "You seriously do _not_ want to know what she said to him."

Mayl smiled and look sideways to Shine.

"Well it's about time someone did something about that man! Gave me the shivers!" she said, still smiling.

Shine gladly returned the smile. Mayl and her had easily become good friends, as they were some of the few girls in the group. And besides, there were several things that just weren't meant for boys' ears. Yai had also joined the small 'club' after that. 

"But I gotta tell you, he sure looked angry with me when he left!" Shine said simply, and everyone in the room had to laugh about the small joke.

That was _so_ typically Shine for you! Always good at cheering people up.

At the moment, the group just didn't want to worry about anything. Not about Zahler, not about what they would do with the DA, or any of that crap. They just wanted to enjoy this small time of peace while it still lasted. It probably wouldn't last, but they weren't about to just throw it to waste.

So they chatted about this and that, as all teenagers are used to doing, and for once, Chaud actually joined in on the idle chatter, for once, not caring about what his father would think. Because they had come for him, hadn't they? And who was he to throw that away?

--

"Now, if we had to hide those things, where would we stash them?" X questioned as the small group of people was crowded around a map of the Science Labs.

"Most likely somewhere no one would think of," Sol said on his account. "But the question is, where would that be?"

"There're a lot o' places ta hide them chips," Ananda added. "But it's got ta be hard ta find, 'n' at the same time, so damn obvious that ye gotta hit yerself in the head ta miss it."

X nodded in understanding. It made sense. Those scientists may be forgetful sometimes, but they weren't stupid. Nor were the Officials for that matter.

So, they had to plan it perfectly to get this mission done flawlessly. He studied the map carefully, before his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Gate, what do you make of this?" he asked, pointing.

The purple-eyed scientist peeked at the map with a look of surprise, but still with that insane gleam in his eyes. 

"Hmmm… looks to be some sort of test area. I don't know…"

Something suddenly clicked with Sol.

"That kid actually showed the girl how to use Cross-Fusion in a testing-area. The chips were right there on the desk in plain sight."

X looked up with a cocked eyebrow.

"You're joking, right?"

"No, sir."

X rolled his eyes and clucked his tongue slightly in annoyance.

"They're making this too easy on us."

--

"970… 971… 972… 973… 974… Crap, lot of rooms here!" Lan mumbled, walking down the long hallway. 

Once the visiting hours at the hospital had ended, Lan had decided to head for the room Mike had told him to come to. He was still 15 minutes early, but it didn't really matter. At least he was on time this time.

"981… 982… Ah! Here we are!!"

Lan calmly knocked on the door, and waited for a moment, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping a foot against the floor. As he waited, his mind wandered to their current situation. 

X could've easily killed Chaud out there, and hadn't it been for Mike, he most likely wouldn't have made it out of that situation. And Lan was positive that this wasn't the end of what X had in store. If X was really after the Synchro-Chips, and he was willing to kill those standing in his way, then things were _really_ starting to get out of hand.

"You're early," a familiar voice said, making Lan look up in surprise.

"Oh, hey Mike," Lan said with a smile.

The other brunette was leaning against the doorframe, and he seemed to be well rested now. At least better than when he'd climbed in that cab.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure. Come on," Mike said, walking back into the room.

Lan followed closely behind, and closed the door behind himself. As he looked around, he was a little surprised to find the place to be very tidy.

"I don't have too much time to do anything in my room nowadays," Mike said, as if reading his thoughts, picking up an arena he apparently owned. "My job takes up too much time."

Lan nodded softly, then asked: "So you don't go out much?"

"Never said that, did I?" Mike retorted, placing the arena on the coffee table. "With this weather though, I really get _out_. Whenever I'm confined to my room because of the weather, I'm trying to figure out as much as I can about X. Because I have a suspicious feeling that I've heard the name 'Thimoto' somewhere before."

"Oh? Where?"

"Well, that's the point. I can't remember. It's gotta be somewhere in the back of my skull, but I can't relocate it."

"Ah."

Just then, a calm knock sounded, coming from the door, and Mike frowned a little. He turned to look at the clock hanging over the kitchen-counter. It read 7:54. Lan looked at the door in equal suspicion. Lan had been early because he didn't want to be late. But what reason did the others have to be early?

None.

Mike walked over to the door, but in such way, that his feet made no sound as he practically _slithered_ his way to the door. Ever so carefully, he looked through the small peephole, frowning slightly, before he seemed to relax slightly.

"Well, you're not the only one who's early."

--

"Plug in!! MegaMan.EXE!! Transmission!!"

"Plug in!! Razor.EXE!! Transmission!!"

"Plug in!! Ragnarok.EXE!! Transmission!!"

"Plug in!! Sonica.EXE!! Transmission!!"

"Plug in!! Quint.EXE!! Transmission!!"

"Plug in!! Tsuchi.EXE!! Transmission!!"

"…Plug in."

--

"So Razor, wha's this all 'bout?" Sonica asked the green-armored Navi.

All Navis sat in a room that seemed almost identical to the room Mike and the Operators were in, and they were all seated around the 'coffee table'. 

Yes, even Bass.

Razor sat on the couch, cross-legged and his hands resting on his knees. He said nothing for a while, and just looked around the six other Navis for a moment. 

Finally though, Razor gave a soft sigh and opened his mouth.

"Mike and I have been informed that the attack on the Science Labs has been postponed. The reason for this is because Zahler's Navis were injured from the previous ransacking, as you all probably remember."

A round of nods followed the statement.

"The attack will begin tomorrow at 10:00 AM. By the looks of it, they're no longer afraid of being discovered. Either that, or they aren't going to use the same Navis they used for the raid."

A couple of confused glances were exchanged between the group, but Bass didn't seem surprised.

"…Then they'll probably use Red Alert."

Mega blinked in surprise, then asked: "Beg your pardon?"

"Red Alert…" Razor murmured. "Wait… weren't those the Navis that…"

"DON'T even remind me!!" Bass hissed, making Razor shut his yap.

"Sorry. Anyway," Razor said, setting his feet back onto the ground, "if they really _are_ going to use Red Alert, _and_ the DA, then we're in deep shit. Bass," he said, turning to the black- and gold-armored Navi, "do you think you'll be able to jack in the DA when it's used?"

Bass frowned ever so slightly, then gave a short nod.

"Alright. Mega," Razor then turned to the Blue Bomber, "do you think you and Lan will be able to use Cross-Fusion when the time comes knocking?"

"Of course!! No problem!!" Mega said, a confident look on his face.

"Right, that leaves the rest of us," Razor gestured for the other Navis, "Mega, do you think it's possible for us to use Cross-Fusion as well?"

Mega frowned a little, then gave a small shrug and said: "I really don't know. But of course, it's worth a try. But I can't promise anything."

Razor nodded.

"I understand. We can only hope for the best from here on."

--

"The Synchro-Chips are located… right… here!" the youngest of the figures said, pointing out a spot on the map.

"Right there?" X asked, just to be sure. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, My Lord. I'm positive. And if you do not believe me…"

The figure reached into his pocket and pulled out a wondrous blue chip, with a familiar red emblem with a black line running through it and a light green gem on it.

"This is a Synchro-Chip?" X asked curiously, accepting the chip from the figure.

"Yes, My Lord."

X frowned at the small chip, then flipped it into the air, before snatching it with a calm arc of his arm.

"Right then. You know the plan. All of you."

The group of Navis now standing in the room nodded simply. 

X chuckled coldly.

--

__

Tomorrow, Blaze… Tomorrow you'll learn the might of my fury…

--

****

D. Zero: Wait… since when is Gate one of the bad-guys??

Night. Z: Didn't ya eva play MMX6??

D. Zero: Not that I recall. Why?

RCM: Gate was the bad guy in that one. Or actually, he was being manipulated by (the original) Zero's DNA, which made him go psycho.

D. X: Ah, no wonder he's so insane in this story.

Night. Z (???): Took you long enough to figure it out……… What the fuck?!?! [looks down at armor in surprise]

Everyone: Oo?!

Z: Well… that surely didn't last long.

RCM: That's a first. Cases of self-healing for Nightmare-Virus are very rare.

Z: Well, there's a first time for everything, right?

RCM: I guess.

Z: BTW, do you have those bios?

RCM: Bios?? …… OH!! Yeah, don't worry. I'll get to it as soon as I can.

Z: Thanks.


	29. Chapter X Part 2: Red Alert

Z: I'm sorry about the holdup… but I caught a virus of some sort and I've just undergone surgery, only to be tossed straight into my exams-week. And if it wasn't bad enough, I also got my fusion-tank totaled, and it took me two weeks to recover. And currently, I'm still busy training to take on Nightmare and her damned Carriers. So, sorry once again.

* * *

TJ and Rikumon: oo;; Okay… that's just… weird… if you pardon my words.

Pyra Akaidra: Oh God… [holds head with a hand] I'm not even going to ask.

SupremeHyren: Glad you approve.

Seijaku Rei the chibi kitsune: I'm doing what I can. Oh, and 'hora!' means 'hey!'.

Sol Sabre: Eeep!! [pushes gun out of face] Get that thing out of my face!! I already had enough near-death-experiences! [frowns] You know, you kill me, you can't read the rest of the story. Ever thought of that?

Red: Ah-ha. I see.

Trinity: Apparently. Sis was 10 when she first said the f-word, and violence like the one I'm writing about is suitable for teens of 10-13 around here. I was 9 when I first saw Aliens, Species and Terminator. So… yeah, I guess the border lies differently around here.

Silver Moon of Twilight: …I'm not even gonna ask…

* * *

Chapter X Part 2: Red Alert

"What's the time?"

"8:54."

"Good. We've got a little over an hour to prepare."

"Unless they begin early."

"I doubt they will."

"Well, you never know."

"Just shut up and let's get to work!"

* * *

Pyra pounded against the solid door once, then nodded and turned to the group.

"Tha door won't give easily!" she declared.

"It completely depends on what they use," Mike pointed out as the brunette walked over to the group. "Now, Lan?"

Lan nodded, face set in determination. The group had left early in the morning for the Science Labs, planning to stop Zahler this time. And now that they were there, that determination had flourished into a massive bonfire.

So, needless to say, they were ready to fight.

Lan hurriedly climbed on top of a table, and looked down at the group watching him with interest and the closest attention. He took a deep breath, as he had never been forced into teaching _anyone_ anything concerning the Synchro-Chips. Still, he knew he had to in order to try and defeat Zahler.

This was most likely the only way left.

"Right," he finally stated, releasing his breath. "Cross Fusion isn't enabled one-two-three, and to be honest, I'm not too sure how it actually works. A lot of athletes have already tried to use it, but they had used up all their strength before they had even lasted a minute. My father's theory behind it, is that I probably succeeded because of the strong bond Mega and I have, because after we argued and tried to use Cross Fusion, it backfired."

"Sounds logical enough," Shun said softly.

"All of you seem to have a strong bond with your Navis… but I'm really not sure if it's really strong enough to handle Cross Fusion."

"Well, only one way to find out!" Sara stated.

"Right! Let's do this!!"

* * *

"I'm not even going to ask how you managed to get those cameras in there," X mumbled softly.

Sol simply smirked a little, and stated calmly: "Smart move, 'cause _that's_ a trade secret."

X rolled his eyes lightly, then turned back to the screen, while keeping a close eye on the time.

Things were about to be set into motion.

* * *

"Is everyone ready?!"

"Yes sir!!"

"Good. We're all ready, sir."

"…Perfect."

* * *

With practiced ease, Lan activated the DA inside the room, making it shimmer with color it hadn't possessed before. It startled everyone who had never before seen it. Lan opened a box resting on a desk and pulled out a set of blue chips with the familiar emblem and the green gem on it.

"Right, these are the Synchro-Chips. Each of you should take one."

Without a word, the teens each took a Synchro-Chip from Lan, and took a moment to study the small object in their hands.

"This little thing??" Mike murmured softly.

Lan simply nodded and said: "Now that the DA's activated, they work just like normal chips. Just do as you always do, and the rest should go fine on its own. But in order to use chips during Cross Fusion, you need to slot them in beforehand."

Sara turned to him, a slight frown on her face.

"Show us then!"

"Alright."

Lan pulled out a couple of his own chips and calmly slotted them all into his PET. The others followed his example by taking several of their best chips out and slotting them in. Once everyone was done, Lan took the Synchro-Chip in his hand.

* * *

"Synchro-Chip!! Slot in!!!"

* * *

The second the chip had slot into the PET, it began to emit an eerie light of some sort. Then, shouting out over the screech being emitted by the PET, were the voices of both Lan and MegaMan.

"CROSS FUSION!!!"

Lan released his PET, and it was immediately engulfed in a sea of light. Lan's clothes waved violently in some sort of none-existing wind, before data seemed to form around him, and attached itself to the boy's body, forming a very familiar blue armor. At the center of his chest, formed an equally familiar yellow and red symbol. The jump suit slid into place, only this time, lighter blue race-stripes ran over both the jump suit and the armor. His hair spiked up at the back of his head as his cranium got covered up with a sturdy helmet, and the lower half of his face got covered up. It didn't take long for the light to fade away.

"Holy!!"

"Sweet mother of!!"

"Oh my god!"

"Shit!"

"Fuck…"

* * *

"I dun see what's so good about that…" Gate mumbled, a slight hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Hush!" X hissed.

* * *

The clock ticked on and on…

* * *

"But… what if it _does_ fail, Sir X?" Sol asked hesitantly.

X simply smirked.

"Don't worry, I have the _perfect_ way to get them to cooperate."

Sol shuddered slightly. He didn't like the sound of that.

* * *

"So we just use them like ordinary chips?" Jinn asked, just to be sure.

Lan simply nodded, the mouthpiece having slid back to reveal his whole face.

"Exactly. It should work, but I'm not all too sure."

Mike fingered the chip a little, studying the odd blue chip for a few more moments, and then held out his PET calmly.

"Ah, what the heck?!" he mumbled. "Got nothing to lose anyway…"

And he slot in.

* * *

The light suddenly emanating from the PET startled the brunette so badly that he accidentally released it. But before it had the chance to fall, it practically exploded in bright light, shrouding the entire place in white.

Data began to form around him, before it easily attached itself to his entire body, smoothing out his clothes so it wouldn't feel uncomfortable. First came the armor, which covered his entire chest, with Razor's symbol across it. Next came the boots and gloves, which each held a razor-sharp spikes coming from them. The tie around his hair suddenly snapped, and his hair became a tad longer, reaching the middle of his back, and it also gained a slight green tint to it. The next thing to appear was the helmet, which easily overlapped his entire head. And finally, the jumpsuit slid into place, and a mouthpiece covered the bottom-half of his face.

"What the blazes?!" Mike exclaimed in surprise.

Pyra was the first to recover from the shock and she shook her head wildly, before smiling brightly.

"Mike! Ya did it!!"

Mike could only stare in awe, unable to believe that he actually did.

"_Hey! Not to complain or anything, but this is really weird!_" Razor's voice suddenly resounded right in his ear.

"Razor??" he questioned in confusion.

"_Well DUH!! Who else would I be?!_"

"Okay! My turn!" Sara said, taking her own Synchro-Chip and she was about to slot in when…

Beep-beep. Beep-beep. Beep-beep.

Everyone in the room paled, and cautiously looked over to the clock hanging over the door.

* * *

10:00 AM

* * *

"Gate, activate the DA. Now!"

"Roger!"

Gate's fingers flew across the board in front of him, and the entire interior of the room began to glow.

A chilling glare from X was directed to the screen, but the brunette had a bloodthirsty grin on his face, indicating what his thoughts were aimed at.

A strange twinkle appeared in his eyes, one that made his eyes seem a blood-red hue…

Or…

Was there another reason?

* * *

"Oh dammit!! Where did the time suddenly go?!" Lan whined, before turning to the others. "We have to hurry before they--"

"_Little late, Lan!_" Razor called out. "_They're already here!_"

"_What are you--??_" Mega started.

"_Shush!_"

* * *

"ACK!! SLASH!! Watch where you point that thing!!!" one of the Navis shouted in anger.

The Navi spoken to, a dark red and even darker blue heavy-armored man, frowned, and huffed. Most likely he would've crossed his arms over his chest, if the massive blades on his forearms would've allowed him. His entire body was heavily armored and even his face was safely guarded, leaving only his piercing black eyes visible. In total, his armor had five sharp blades poking out of him, two out of both forearms, two from the back of his shins, and one on top of his head, shaped back like a shark's fin.

"Oh shut it, Sorum!" Slash hissed at the Navi that had spoken earlier.

Sorum was a Navi with a massive Buster-cannon serving as his left arm, and an incredibly muscular built. By his stance and the air around him, it was clear that this guy was in charge of the group of Navis. His entire armor was blazing red with darker race-stripes running over it, and he was just as heavily armored as Slash was. Coming from his back was a set of massive thrusters, meant to give him some extra thrust forward or upward. Sorum's piercing blue eyes narrowed in sheer anger, and he growled low in his throat, though it wasn't visible, as his lower-face too was hidden from view.

"You say that again, you--!!" he started in anger.

"Boys! Boys!!" a feminine voice said and a female Navi pushed her male-teammates apart. "We're not here to fight _each other_! Okay?!"

She had to be the only female in the team, but it hardly bothered her. She had shoulder-length black hair, and she had a slightly Asian-look to her smooth features. Her armor was both fancy as well as meant solely for combat. Attached to the back of her shins were a set of thrusters identical to the ones Sorum had on his back.

"Because, unless you forgot, we've got a mission to complete!" she stated calmly.

Sorum and Slash glared at each other for a moment, before they shrugged and mumbled: "Whatever."

"Just start moving," a cold voice suddenly rang out, making each of them freeze up in fright.

"Y-yes sir!" they all said at the same time, and ran like bats out of hell, with the rest of the group rushing off after them.

The tall Navi shook his head slightly, not once loosening the grip on the struggling child he held close to him.

* * *

Lan pulled out his Buster, as the others each pulled out their respective weapons. They had all managed to use Cross Fusion within mere seconds, strangely enough, but they didn't stop to think about it too much. They had other things to take care off.

"You all set?" Lan whispered softly, receiving a series of nods from everyone in the room. "Good, then let's get into position. Mike, you got the chips?"

Mike nodded, tapping the right holster on his belt, which was currently one Buster lighter, and sealed off completely.

Lan nodded back, before he indicated for everyone to get into position. And just as they finished, a massive explosion rocked the building.

Show time.

* * *

"Fire in the hole!!" Sorum screamed, and sent another massive blast of plasma flying down the hall, before it collided with a wall, which then fell apart.

Slash lashed out at a large pillar, and just as it was about to topple over, he screamed: "Timber!!"

People were running around everywhere, practically screaming their heads off as they fled from the lab, fearing for their lives. But there were few people who managed to get away unscathed.

"Yo Rose! How're you doing?!" Sorum shouted to the only female in the group.

The Navi in question was hovering a little above the ground with the help of the thrusters on her legs, and was currently busy sending pellets of plasma colliding into several walls. She grinned ferociously at the screams the humans gave off with every pellet colliding into a wall.

"Oh, I'm doing just fine!!" she laughed, before descending to the ground again. "But let's get those damned chips and get out of here!"

"I can't help but agree," a fourth Navi stated, walking over calmly, a massive bazooka-like Buster-cannon attached below his right arm.

This Navi was slightly different from the others, as he seemed a little more like a cyborg, due to all the robot-like circuitry exposed on several places. And while his left hand still had five fingers, his right had only four, and his entire right arm was twice to thrice as big as his left. But he too had the bottom-half of his face shielded.

The only Navi who didn't have that seemed to be Rose.

"Right then," Sorum said plainly, cocking his massive Buster-cannon. "Let's go!!"

While the rest of the troupe kept busy enough, the four Navis rushed off to find what they had come for in the first place.

* * *

"Lan, don't we miss anyone?" Shun suddenly asked, feeling as if they were missing someone.

Lan's eyes darted across the room, but he couldn't see who was missing.

"I don't think so. Why?" Lan asked, turning to look at the gray-haired kid, whose eyes were currently hidden behind a set of heavy shades.

"Well… it's like we're one man short…" Shun muttered.

"…Not anymore," a familiar voice said, followed shortly by the sound of a Navi plugging in.

Everyone whirled around, and breathed a sigh in relief at who stood there. But then, Mike frowned a little, though he was secretly smirking underneath his visor.

"You're late, Bass."

* * *

"You just wait!! You're going to be _sooooo_ sorry when Lan and Mega beat you!!!"

A cold chuckle was all the answer he gave the child.

"Stop that!!! Lan will kick your ass from here to New York (1)!!!"

"Oh, I doubt that. I seriously think they wouldn't _dare_ hurt you."

The child could only gape in shock, before a growl escaped its throat.

"That's just plain dir--GACK!" it started, before gasping in pain as its throat was slowly being crushed.

"That doesn't matter. All that matters is victory… and no one cares about how it is achieved, as long as it is given to us."

As the grip was loosened again, the child struggled for air, before being forced down the hallway, no longer bothering to struggle, with crystalline tears pouring down its cheeks.

* * *

With a massive explosion, the door was sent to the ground, allowing the four Navis to enter without even a bother. It surely didn't take long for them to realize that something was off.

"Rather quiet, don't you think?" Slash murmured, looking around carefully.

"Well, expect anything," Sorum said plainly, beginning to walk further into the room, his cannon at the ready.

Neither of the Navis noticed the dark figures hiding in every shadow of the room.

Rose moved over to the desk where the chips should've been… looked all over the place, lifting this and that, then started to curse wildly.

"They're not here!!" she shouted angrily. "That little snitch lied!!"

"…Don't be so sure of that," a highly familiar voice to the group said coolly from behind them, making each of them whirl around in shock.

"Bass!!" Sorum hissed in anger.

The black- and gold-armored Navi said nothing, and simply stared the small group down. For once, he'd removed the poncho he'd always been wearing, revealing the massive scar for everyone to see.

"You're the last Navi I'd expected to see here," Slash mumbled, anger clearly audible in his voice.

Bass didn't move, but then a small smirk passed his lips as he chuckled softly.

"…Well, what do humans always say? 'Expect the unexpected', ne?"

Sorum snorted, though mentally, he was saying: 'Right, but who would've expected _you_ to show up here?!'

Out loud, he said: "Yes, yes, whatever. Now if you'll excuse us--"

"…No, we will not," Bass interfered, catching the small group off-guard.

"Uh… I think my hearing's been messed up…" Rose mumbled, giving herself a good whack to the head. "I could've sworn you said---"

"Then I suggest you don't turn around," a voice from behind her said.

Acting on instinct alone, she whirled around only to scream in fright as a massive burst of plasma to her stomach sent her flying across the room. With a crash, she was sent straight through the wall, sending a cloud of dust into the air as she did.

Lan gave a soft sigh and said: "I tried to warn her, but do they ever listen to me?"

The sound of a sword being activated resounded from a little across the room, along with Mike's scorning voice: "Heh. Who can blame these guys for being idiots?"

Bass chuckled a bit, then glared at the group and said: "This ends now."

* * *

"Well, well, well," he whispered softly, watching the battle progress.

Having a number-advantage over the small group of Red Alerts, the battle was rather one-sided. Even so, Red Alert didn't go down that easily. It'd take more than a few good Navis to take them out. Then again…

"They might just beat them," he murmured, as Shun almost easily managed to kick Slash away from him.

* * *

Jinn used his lance to propel himself away from the only female Navi in the squad, Rose, if he wasn't mistaking, and growled a bit.

"I've just about had it!" he hissed and held up his fist. "Mega Cannon!!"

A massive red cannon was instantly formed on his arm as he landed on his feet. Raising the cannon, he held it for a moment, then fired it straight at the female Navi. But Rose leaped over the blow and flipped over Jinn easily. Jinn wasn't easily fooled however.

He whirled around his spear and slammed it back, straight into the girl's spine. That one sent her careering into a wall.

"Ow!" she hissed, having slammed her nose against the wall rather hard.

With a growl of anger, she leaped into the air by kicking off against the wall. But her kick-off was so strong, the wall collapsed under the pressure. This caused a massive dustcloud to rise up.

"Ack!!" Jinn cried out as the dust hit his sensitive eyes.

"Jinn! Above ya!!" Pyra shouted.

Jinn instantly leaped back, and just in time to avoid getting his skull smashed by Rose crashing down onto him.

"Thanks Pyra!" he shouted over.

"Welcome!" Pyra said calmly, blocking another swing from Slash.

* * *

Both her and Mike were currently taking on Slash, but he wasn't all that easy as he appeared to be. Mike seemed to be doing a bit better though, as he had two blades to fight with. He blocked another swing to his head, then retaliated with a lash at the guy's side. Slash easily blocked the swing with his other arm, however.

However, that gave Pyra the opening she needed. Slash gave a yelp in surprise when Pyra's sword barely grazed across his stomach. Pyra frowned at missing her shot, but didn't stop at all, and just kept on fighting.

"Elec Sword!!" Pyra hollered, and a massive sword appeared on her left arm, sizzling with electricity.

Now that she too had two swords, things might be a bit easier. She lashed out with the Elec Sword, and quickly followed it up with a swing from her own sword. Slash easily blocked both hits, but it left him completely vulnerable to Mike's hits. Slash yowled when both swords hit his unguarded side.

* * *

Shun and Sara were taking on the fourth member of the group, whom was soon identified as 'Flare'. Though not appearing too tough, he was one of the stronger Alerts. Not only that, but he was mighty quick on his feet as well. He easily leapt over Sara and blasted her in her back with a burst of fire. Sara instantly whirled and lashed out with her whip, smacking the other Navi right to his face.

"EEYOW!!" the Navi yowled in surprise and partially in pain.

After shaking his head once, he raised his arm and began to charge. But Shun was faster and used his jackhammer/pogostick (2) to crash straight into his back, sending him skidding across the floor.

* * *

Lan and Bass were currently taking on Sorum, who sent blast after blast of plasma soaring at them. Both of the other Navis dodged every single shot however, both of them way too fast for Sorum to hit them. Bass easily leaped over Sorum, and used a Sword to lash out at the guy's back. Sorum easily dodged it though and whirled around to blast Bass down, only to get his back slashed open by Lan.

Both instantly leaped back from Sorum's shots.

"Nice shot," Bass commented.

"Thank you," Lan said with a bit of a smirk, hidden behind the visor.

Both jumped up to avoid another burst of plasma from Sorum. They gave one glance at each other and nodded.

"Area Steal!" Lan shouted, and both he and Bass vanished without a trace.

Sorum growled, but leaped up into the air to avoid both swords lashing out underneath him. But both swords came from Bass. And, having counted on that he might jump up, Lan has reappeared a few feet above him.

With a yell, Lan lashed downward… slashing Sorum in half almost easily.

Sorum just managed to scream, before he was plugged out.

"One down…" Lan said calmly.

"And three to go…" Bass finished.

* * *

Ananda was struck speechless, but finally, she managed to speak.

"Blimey… they got Sorum…"

"…We have eyes in our head, Ananda…" X's cold voice rang out through the room, putting a stop to whatever else she had to say.

But even so, X didn't seem as pissed off as he would've been had something like this happened. Had this been any other day, X would've been cussing and screaming for the whole world to hear. This time however, he seemed to be quite calm about the whole matter. Not that it wasn't welcome, but it still made little sense to the other people in the room.

"Um… Sir X? If I may speak up," Red asked, though a bit hesitantly. "Why is it that you're not worried?"

For a moment, X said nothing. But when he smirked a bit, Red knew that whatever X had up his sleeve, couldn't mean too much good.

"Just wait and see," was the only answer X gave.

Red frowned a little, before looking sideways at his Operator. Sol looked just as confused as Red was feeling at the moment, but neither was willing, or stupid, enough to risk asking again.

They weren't sure what was happening, but they both knew that this could only spell trouble.

Though for which party, they weren't all too sure.

* * *

Flare growled a bit in fury after leaping aside again from Shun and Sara. He was getting awfully tired of this, and in his opinion, it had to stop. With one massive boost from his legs, he was sent careering at the ceiling. But a few feet away from it, he flipped over and crashed into the ceiling with his heavy boots first. The ceiling creaked and protested loudly against the sudden invasion, and collapsed when Flare kicked off violently against it.

"Ack!! Look out!!" Sara shouted, and she and Shun instantly leaped back, avoiding the debris raining down on them.

While Sara was busy getting the dust out of her eyes, Shun could see everything just fine, partly due to the shades shielding his eyes. He looked around carefully, trying to catch a glimpse of where Flare could've gone.

There was nothing that could indicate that, though.

Sara finally managed to get the dust from her eyes and peeked out cautiously. What she saw made her eyes go wide though.

"Shun!! Behind you!!" she shouted.

Shun whirled around in surprise, but a split-second too late. Flare's massive cannon was instantly in his stomach, and the massive burst of plasma sent the small boy flying straight into one of the machines in the back, knocking him out effortlessly.

Flare then raised his cannon again, charging the massive contraption once again… but ended up getting whipped to the face. Sara lashed out a few more times, having caught Flare off guard. The first 5 hits struck home… but the next lash was caught by Flare's arm.

One sharp yank was all it took for Flare to send Sara flying with a cry of surprise, skidding across the floor to a screeching halt.

* * *

Mike gave a yelp as he dropped down to one knee and brought up both swords to block the incoming downward lash from Slash. Gritting his teeth with the effort, Mike did all he could to keep Slash at bay. Normally, something like that would've proven to be too much for him to handle. But, this not being a normal situation, that was not the case.

With one strong push of his legs and a strong swipe with both arms sent Slash stumbling back, trying to regain his balance. The second he found it again, Slash whirled around to block the incoming hit from Pyra. Without second thought, Slash grabbed her by her arm and flung her straight into Mike.

Both teens gave a cry in pain and surprise as they were sent crashing into the wall. Mike's head collided with the wall, knocking him out cold before he hit the ground. Pyra was more lucky, and managed to stay conscious after the hit. Shaking her head a bit, she looked at Mike for a moment, before leaping up.

"Right! I've had it!!" she mumbled angrily. "Dyna Wave!!"

After sheathing her sword, Pyra grasped the pickaxe that had appeared in front of her and smashed it straight into the ground, sending a shockwave Slash' way. But Slash had other ideas and leapt away from the wave almost easily. Pyra was about to repeat it, when she yelped and had to duck under a shockwave lashing through the air that would've cut off her head if she hadn't.

But when she got up, she instantly got a boot to her face, sending her sprawling to the ground, KO'ed.

* * *

Jinn slammed his lance into the ground, and used it to catapult himself over Rose, who'd aimed a massive lash with her Buster-Sword at him. Apparently, she had one of those, which had become clear a bit later on in the fight. Once Jinn had landed, he whirled around, sending his lance straight at Rose.

Rose, however, managed to block the blow easily and twisted it around, thus causing the lance to fly from Jinn's hands.

"Ha-ha!" Rose mocked, aiming her sword at Jinn.

Jinn blinked, then smirked and stepped on the blade with one foot, saying: "Ho-ho!"

Rose in vainly tried to pull it back, then uttered: "Uh-oh…"

She looked up, only to receive a punch straight to her chin, sending her back with a crash. (3)

Jinn chuckled as he watched Rose crash into the ground, and held out his hand. His lance instantly flew back into his hand, and he held it tightly in both hands, aimed straight at Rose. Within seconds, it easily extended to almost 5 times its original size and sent careering at Rose.

However, Rose easily leapt up, avoiding the blow, and whirling through the air easily. She lunged out at Jinn, but the boy managed to block with the stick of his lance. As Rose's weight came crashing down, Jinn moved the lance a bit backward, making her flip over him.

Once she was there, he whirled around to block a swing aimed for his legs, before slamming the end of his lance straight against her face.

Rose looked a bit dazed for a sec, then she shook her head, and said: "Touché." (4)

Jinn said nothing and simply kicked her to her stomach, sending her to the ground. He was just about to finish the fight, when…

* * *

"I think that's about enough of that…" a cold voice commented, causing everyone to whirl around in surprise.

The dark, demonic looking Navi stepped out from the shadows, his wings right beside him, almost as if he was hiding something. Anyone who had seen NightMare.EXE before would've asked if they had the same creator or something of the kind, but seeing as the only one having seen her, and was still awake, was Bass, there wasn't much of a comment on that.

"This has gone far enough as it is."

Bass glared the Navi down, hissing out: "Androrazor."

The dark Navi chose not to reply to that. Instead, he continued to speak calmly.

"I suggest you hand over the Synchro-Chips, unless you wish me to take drastic measures I prefer to avoid."

Lan chuckled and pulled up his Buster, aiming it at Androrazor.

"Sorry," he said calmly. "Not interested."

Androrazor gave a soft sigh as Bass too raised his arm, only he shifted it to the massive Gospel-Buster, charging steadily. With a soft shake of his head, he extended his wings completely, which took up the entire entrance, blocking the way out.

Lan, Jinn and Bass alike could only gape in horror at the child Androrazor was holding tightly by its neck. Dressed in nothing but a nightgown, the child was practically shivering in fright, wrists tied together and almost sobbing in the pain caused by the massive Navi. And when the child looked up, two orbs of purple were staring in fright and horror at the group.

"Oh my God! Shine!!!" Jinn cried out.

* * *

(1) Normally, you're supposed to say, at least, here where I live, "from here to Tokyo", but technically, this takes place in Japan (or close to it in this case). So if I wrote Tokyo, that wouldn't be very far, now would it?

(2) Yeah, that thing Quint uses is really a jackhammer/pogostick combination, for those who didn't know.

(3) Get yourself a cookie if you know which Disney movie this's from.

(4) 'Nother Disney. Try to guess.

* * *

Unlike before, I won't ramble anymore, due to the fact that I'm pretty much pissed off about what's happened to me, and the fact that I have training to do. Ciao. [warps out without another word]


	30. Notice

Notice to all those waiting for updates of OtN,

Though this story is not discontinued, it is being rewritten to accommodate for everything that will happen in the fic, and to correct any errors in the storyline I have discovered upon rereading it. The main story of the fic will remain the same, but several different factors will be added or removed, some of them wanted, others not.

Below is a list of the things I intend to change, or have already changed, and other stuff.

1) The official characters will all be given their original, meaning Japanese, names. Which means that "Lan", will become "Netto", and "MegaMan" will become "RockMan".

2) The original characters like Shine, Mike and Jinn will be given Japanese variants of their original names. Example

· Shine Goldlane Kinkairozi Haeru

· Jinn Mito Mito Majin

3) Zahler will be called "Nikutsui".

4) Instead of focusing on Shine, Mike and Jinn, the story will now focus mainly on Net & Co.

5) The model of PETs will be the one that includes a touchscreen, as in MMBN5:DS, before later switching to the holograms.

These are the characters that will be included in the story.

1) Netto & co (Dekao, Yaito, Meiru, Enzan, etc.)

2) Raika & SearchMan

3) Barrel & Colonel

4) Forte (no reason to leave him out…)

5) Shine, Mike & Jinn

6) X, and the rest of Zahler

7) Several other OCs… (telling too soon would ruin the surprise.)

These on the other hand, will NOT appear…

1) Tril (simply because I've never actually seen him, sorry.)

2) Iris (is a definite no-no.)

3) Most sub-characters.

To prepare you for what is still to come, here is the prelude of "Operator-to-Navi: GOLD EDITION".

* * *

**Prelude: The New NetAgents**

The sun was just rising over the horizon, signaling the start of a new day. As the land was revealed for everyone to see, the sound of engines roaring through the sky was barely audible, the airplane landing smoothly once it had been given permission.

Only once the plane had ceased all movements were the passengers allowed to move and make their way for the exits. Amongst the passengers, was a young girl with stark-white hair, done in four ponytails, two on each side of her head, while the rest still hung down her shoulders, barely passing her shoulderblades. She wore a light yellow tank top with a knot near her breasts, seeing as it had actually been your average shirt. She also wore some light orange shorts. The shorts hardly reached her knees, and she wore some easy step-in shoes.

As the passengers began to move, she shut her book and stood up, waiting for an opening before sliding between two people to leave the plane. Of course, that took a while, as just about everyone was pushing and shoving, trying to get others to move faster so they could leave the plane faster. She sighed softly, not understanding why humans were so rushed nowadays.

* * *

It took longer than usual for everyone to arrive at the airfield because of their rush, instead of going faster than people would've liked. But she wasn't in a hurry, so she wasn't as bothered as most people. 

Instead, she walked over to the luggage area, and waited patiently, and plucked her bag from the tread as it came by. The first thing she did was reach in the side-pocket, and pulled out her PET. The screen was off, indicating that her Navi was probably recharging. Putting it back in its casing on her hip, she started walking out, bag slung around her shoulders.

She looked around as she got outside, before she turned to the sky and smiled at the air she had floated in several minutes ago, her deep purple eyes sparkling brightly in the light of the sun, before she shielded her eyes from the piercing rays. For a minute, she thought, knowing she didn't have enough money for a cab. So instead, she headed for the subway. As she walked, she heard the familiar beeping of her PET turning on. "Morning," she chimed warmly.

_//Yeah… same,//_ came the digitized, female voice from the PET. //_So, we're finally here?//_

"Yep. You think we'll run into anyone we know?"

_//Quite possible… but don't get your hopes up just yet.//_

"I know… I know. So, where we going?"

_//You wanted to see Okuden, remember?//_

"…Oh yeah. I forgot."

//…// The whitehead could _just_ picture her Navi with a large sweatdrop on the back of her head. //_What in Kami's name am I going to do with you?_// she questioned.

"Oh hush up and let's just go!"

//_You're the one keeping us up!_//

"Oy!!"

* * *

The cab stopped in front of the Night Star Motel, allowing its passenger to get out. The boy breathed out a bit, glad to be out of the cramped up space. He paid the driver, and told him to keep the change, before walking toward the hotel calmly. 

As he walked, he reached behind his head and tied up his shoulder-length black hair in a tight ponytail at the back of his neck. His dark brown eyes took in every detail around him, as he adjusted the dark jacket he wore. His clothes were mostly black and gray, and rather plain, but he didn't seem that bothered.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he started once again for the motel.

//You okay, buddy?// a familiar voice called out from the PET on his hip.

"Yeah, I'm alright… just reminiscin'…"

//Ouch… that's gotta hurt…//

"What gave it away?" he questioned lightly, a small smirk playing on his lips.

//The look on your face mostly. But hey, let's talk about something else before we get all depressive and stuff!//

A warm laugh came from the brunette, as he shook his head and entered the motel. "Okay, okay, you win…"

//I always do!//

"Wiseass…"

He only laughed harder when he heard his Navi blow him a raspberry.

* * *

The room was still bare, but that would change soon enough, not that he would be spending much time here. It was simply a place to return to when finishing a day. Right now, it was all he required, and he wasn't really trying to get attached to the room. 

It had all necessities he might need; kitchen, bathroom, and a fairly decent bedroom. The last hotel he was at had owned a very lousy bedroom, resulting in him sleeping on the couch more often than on the bed. This bed seemed reasonable enough though. The refrigerator was full enough for him to last a few days, but he'd go shopping a little sooner anyway.

//Nice place!// his friend's voice called out with a smile that you could _hear_.

"I'll say…" he mumbled, before looking outside through the window. "It's still early… we might as well do some busting, eh?"

//YESSA!!// came the enthusiastic shout, and he could clearly imagine his Navi giving said American gesture.

* * *

Allowing the wind to toy with his short locks, the still short boy watched the water for a long time, before turning his attention to the rapidly approaching land. Blowing his bangs from his eyes, he let a bit of a smile cross his face. Heading back to his room aboard the ship, he figured it was high time he got packing. He didn't have much, but whatever he kept with him would still be necessary. 

Arriving at the cabin, he emptied the closets of his clothes, folding them quickly before putting them in the trunk already lying open on the bed. Finishing with that, he pulled out the folder he'd hidden within the lid of the trunk. Flipping it open, he took a few moments to study the chips he had received, before skimming over the files in it once more, and tucking it away once more.

"You just about finished recharging, buddy? We'll be hitting land pretty soon," he finally asked.

//Yeah, I'm good. We're about a day early, though…// his Navi said casually.

"I know… But that's a good thing, right?"

//Hmhmm.//

Walking over, he pulled out his PET, putting it into its holster again before picking up the recharger. Tucking it away in the trunk, he finally snapped the lid shut, wiping his bangs out of his eyes. A little later, he heard the announcement that they had pulled into the dock.

Smiling a bit to himself at his timing, he grabbed his trunk and headed out, though not before asking his Navi to call a cab.

* * *

As he entered the apartment he'd rented, he took a few moments to look around. It wasn't much, but he was sure he'd manage to survive. Walking through the rooms, he finally dumped his trunk on the bed and started exploring. If he was going to live there, he at least wanted to know how it was and where everything was located in case he needed to get something quickly.

Walking from the living room to the kitchen, and from the kitchen to the bathroom, he thought about a number of things. Tomorrow would be the start of his new life in this foreign country. When he had been asked to come, he had been hesitant to comply, but his family had said it was about time he learned to fend for himself, so here he was.

He had been notified that he probably wouldn't be alone though, so he figured that would be seeing a lot of people from different countries besides his own. However, he knew it was a reason to worry if there were other countries involved in this. It left him to wonder what was wrong.

//Your mind's wandering too much again,// came his Navi's teasing voice, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, sorry. I do that a lot these days, don't I?"

//So you do. May I ask why that is?//

He gave a sigh as he headed for the bedroom to unpack. "Too much to keep count. What I wonder is why we were called upon so suddenly…"

//We'll figure out tomorrow. Right now, we should just get settled. I think we'll be here for a while.//

"…Yes, you're right. As always. Alright, I'll keep the deep thoughts for a different time. Could you check the appliances if any of them are bugged, or anything?"

//Of course. Plug me in and I'll be on my way.//

"Alright then."

* * *

Remaining standing in a subway was easy if you remained standing, but she was too excited to care, and was spinning around the poles meant to help people with their balance like a lunatic, giggling madly like a lovesick schoolgirl. This was for most people the reason they ignored it quickly, assuming she was giddy about a date. No one was sure if it was the truth, but her cheeriness seemed to be contagious, as just about everyone who got on the subway and left before her stop got off with a smile etched on their faces as they talked to friends or family. She smiled brightly, as that was her goal from the start; give people a reason to smile and at least laugh. Many had already said that was why she had been put in this world and she was just fine with it.

"Wheeeeeeee!!!"

* * *

As he sliced through the viruses that just kept on coming at him, he was grinning like crazy, enjoying the thrill of these near-death/deletion situations where any wrong move could spell your doom. Though he existed out of data, it gave him the feeling that humans would describe as blood pounding in your ears and pure unadulterated adrenaline. He didn't have blood, but he could still hear it, though he suspected that could also be that of his Operator, though it didn't bother him as much. His Operator was experienced enough with his emotions, so he wasn't worried he'd screw up. 

"Mega Cannon!! Slot in!!"

* * *

Upon talking to the programs, he learned that there weren't any viruses around that they could see. Still, he made sure not to skip any of the appliances, knowing from experience that viruses could still be around even if you couldn't see them with the naked eye. It could be quite annoying at some points, but he'd learned to live with it over time. Still, it seemed like all appliances were virus-free, for the moment, yet he remained to chat with the programs while his Operator unpacked everything they'd need. And knowing his Operator, that could take a while, even if he wasn't thinking as much as he had promised. 

"Okay, I'm almost done. Give me a call when you are too, okay?"

* * *

Neither of the Operators, nor their Navis, had any idea what they were getting themselves into. The only things they knew was that they were on a mission, yet the true goal behind it was beyond their comprehension. They didn't know that this mission could possibly be the end of everything they know and love. 

Nor did they seem to realize they'd gained the possibility to have their lives terminated within the blink of an eye.

Then again, chances are that they already did.

They were young, and might seem inexperienced, but they were a few of the best International NetAgents around.

* * *

The story will be nFiction (dot) com, exclusive, so if you wish to read it, head over there and review, if you please. 

-Milaya Milen Zeal


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